FOOD
The soul
of bread
An organic bakery
creates community in
one of downtown
Detroit’s roughest
neighborhoods.
Owners Ann Perrault
(left) and Jackie Victor
Twelve years ago, Jackie Victor and Ann Perrault
planned a bakery that would offer far more than
baked goods. They hoped that Avalon International Breads would help transform the Cass
Corridor, a broken-down, crime-plagued downtown Detroit neighborhood long known as one
of the city’s poorest. A landlord offered little
encouragement, telling them “the neighborhood
isn’t ready for windows.”
But Jackie and Ann considered themselves
neither bakers nor business owners. They preferred to think like activists, and the Cass Corridor needed “an oasis where people would feel
like everything was OK,” Jackie says. So they
opened Avalon with a focus on using organic
flour to bake more than 20 kinds of bread in
1,500 loaves every day. Each morning, delivery
trucks take cinnamon-raisin loaves, fresh baguettes and crusty sourdough to restaurants and
shops. In the retail store, Motor City Blend coffee brews while cookies, pastries and brioche
tempt from glass cases.
Jackie and Ann haven’t had to replace a window yet, and they’ve seen more small businesses
open in the area sometimes called Midtown.
Several old buildings have been renovated into
lofts, and Ann lives in a home near the bakery.
“It came at exactly the right time, when Mid-
town was starting to come awake,” says custom-
er Margaret B. Palmer. “It’s more than a bakery.
It’s a community gathering spot.”
Avalon donates some of its bread daily to soup
kitchens and pays 35 employees a living wage.
The bakery menu includes family recipes, too.
As a tribute to Jackie’s Jewish roots, Avalon
bakes her aunt’s challah to sell every Friday, and
cookie recipes, such as their popular oatmeal-
raisin on this page, originate from Ann’s mom,
who baked daily for her family of 12.
“Our commitment is to the neighborhood,
with a global influence,” Jackie says. “We never
could’ve visualized the community of support
that has grown up around this place. It’s taken
on its own life.”
To reach Avalon bakery: 422 West Willis Street,
Detroit (313/832-0008).
Avalon’s Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies
Prep: 25 minutes. Bake: 12 minutes per batch
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
∕
4 cup granulated sugar
3
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose our
2 cups organic rolled oats or rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1. In mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer 30
seconds. Add sugars and soda; beat until combined.
Beat in eggs and vanilla. Beat in as much of the our as
you can with mixer. Stir in any remaining our with a
wooden spoon. Stir in oats and raisins.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto
ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in 350° oven 12 minutes, or until edges are golden. Cool 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks; cool. Makes about 40 cookies.
Test Kitchen option: Prepare as above, except substitute 1 cup snipped dried tart cherries, semisweet
chocolate pieces or chopped nuts for the 1 cup raisins.
Nutrition facts per cookie:
127 cal, 5 g fat, 22 mg chol, 69 mg
sodium, 19 g carbo, 1 g ber, 2 g pro. ■
