David Braverman Was Born to Bake By Nancy Ross Ryan - May 1997
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From School to LeBus David Braverman Was Born to Bake By Nancy Ross Ryan - May 1997 |
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In 1978, David Braverman, a New York University music graduate and a musician of five years' standing, took a hiatus from choral conducting and was searching for his next career move. "My dad had a vending truck at Temple University in Philadelphia, and I used to hang out there. So when I dropped the chorus, I thought, 'Let me make some money.'" His dad bought him an old school bus named "Max"; Braverman outfitted it with a kitchen in back and 12 seats in front, parked it in front of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and started to cook. It soon became known as LeBus. When Braverman opened his first 50-lb. Bag of fresh-milled whole-wheat flour -- a bag of Cargill flour -- and baked his first loaf of bread in the small propane oven of LeBus, he knew he was born to bake. Shortly after opening, Braverman realized that 90% of his business was from the take-out window. He sadly dismantled the seating, turning the entire bus over to production. But by 1984 he was once again seating customers, this time in his cafeteria and retail bakery on Sansom Street, opposite Max's original parking spot. In 1986, Max was given an honorable discharge to a soup kitchen. In the years that followed LeBus grew in size and fame: two bakeries and two restaurants, deals with Starbucks and thirty area grocers, wholesaling to Philly's finest restaurants, five "Best of Philly" awards, and a spot on PBS' "Baking with Julia" series. Behind the growth was a continual development of baking skills and products, including his exceptional Pumpkinseed Sourdough bread, made with spring and rye flours, and tomari-roasted seeds. Then there is the incomparable Rustic Baguette, LeBus' rendition of a bread that Braverman learned in Chartres, France. This bread, when hand-shaped and scissor-cut into an epis loaf, made its debut at Philadelphia chef Georges Perrier's Brasserie Perrier, and has been phenomenally popular ever since. With this stellar past, what's left for LeBus? Finding a bigger facility for bread production. "We need at least 25,000 to 30,000 square feet," says Braverman, "My own bakery cafe with the bakery and customers all together-separated only by a counter for safety-where I could do my own experimenting on new formulations, and make customized products for chefs." What about a cookbook? "Perhaps. I've thought about it. However, it's easy to do what has been done. I'd rather do something different," he says. To talk to David Braverman or any of his partners directly, call them at (215) 930-0255. |
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