Berkshire Mountain Bakery
Berkshire Mountain Bakery located in Housatonic, Massachusetts in the heart of the Berkshires. Baker/owner, Richard Bourdon, orchestrates the production in this European style bakery. Traditional techniques rule the baking process and so most bread is naturally leavened with sourdough fermentation and hand shaped. The result is very digestible and delicious bread. Born some 50 years ago in Ville-Marie in northwestern Quebec, Richard initially pursued music as a career. At the age of 22, he decided to switch careers. With a serious interest in food, he placed an ad in the paper: “Interested in food production with either a farmer or a baker.” After plying his trade with top bakers throughout The Netherlands, France and elsewhere in northern Europe, Richard settled in Amsterdam and ran a bakery there for six years. As the popularity of his bread grew, he began to dream of expansion. His dreams were answered when one of the institution’s clients, a woman from Chicago, loaned him sufficient funds to move and grow. This loan allowed Richard to move his operations to the village of Housatonic in 1986. Today, Berkshire Mountain Bakery has sales exceeding $1 million, employs on average 13-15 people and continues to produce some of the best bread you will ever taste. In addition, the bakery now has spelt and wheat pizza crusts, five varieties of frozen pizza and a new line of cookies that are distinguished by the flour, sweetener and shortening that they use. In other words, they are healthy and delicious. If you have the opportunity to meet Richard Bourdon you will be struck by his energy and drive. You can find him on any given day doing any of the following: mixing the dough, shaping the loaves, stretching the pizza, sweeping the floors, bagging the cookies or helping out a customer at the counter. If you are lucky enough to have him help you, you will discover a man who still speaks with a gentle French accent who is passionate about the food he produces. His knowledge and enthusiasm will leave you wondering if this man is a baker or a teacher and philosopher. For those of us who know him well, we know he is all of the above. We invite you to taste the bread baked by a man who is truly committed to bringing better food to this world.
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