For food? For a photo of food?
Last weekend at a blind tasting, I discovered a new olive oil and was surprised to find out that was produced locally. I wanted to know more. And I wanted more of that oil. So I did what all good food bloggers do, I went online, googled the name of the company, and went to their website.
I liked what I read. The company was founded by a couple that moved out of Los Angeles so that their kids could grow up in the country. Their philosophy is “family, friends, fun, and food.” They practice sustainable agriculture.
As soon as I found out that they have a tasting room, I made up my mind to go to Temecula (a one-hour drive). As I was driving up the I-15, I decided to make a quick stop in Escondido. I don’t get up that way very often, but there is a bakery that I always stop at when I’m passing through.
I have been going to San Diego Artisan Bakers, off and on, since they opened about 10 years ago. On my sporadic visits, I always enjoyed talking to the owner, Frederick Holmshaw, about the craft of baking bread (using the traditional method of slow fermentation instead of commercial yeast). I bought my proofing baskets from him. I spent a day taking his breadmaking class, which ended with lunch out on the patio: pizza made in a brick-fired oven that Frederick had built himself.
A few months ago, however, I stopped in and discovered that the bakery was now called Belen Artisan Bakers. Owner Lucy Duran told me that she and her husband had bought the bakery earlier this year.
When I visited this past Saturday, I met Jose Duran. After I bought a couple of loaves of bread, I asked Jose if I could take some photos. He didn’t say anything at first, but I could see on his face that he was hesitant about the idea. I explained to him that I love food and that I like to write about what I eat. He still looked very doubtful.
At that point, I should have realized that he wasn’t comfortable with the idea and backed off. But no, I continued to talk, telling him that I like to promote locally-grown food and what a wonderful idea it would be to appear on my blog, blah, blah, blah. He finally relented, but asked that I not take any photos with the prices of the bread.
Why? He explained that he had a lot of competitors and that he didn’t want to give them any information that could be used to their advantage. He mentioned “spies” who had come in snooping around. I assured him I had no intention of opening a bakery, that I simply liked bread and liked to support locally owned, independent businesses.
I didn’t quite follow his logic, but since that was the condition for getting the photos, I agreed not to show prices. I went around behind the bread rack and shot from that side only.
After a short time, several customers entered the store. A line formed and it became obvious that I had worn out my welcome. “Are you done yet?”
I guess I was. Here are the photos I got. I wish I could tell you what type of bread this is, but all the names were printed on the signs in the front (along with the prices). If you want to know, you’ll have to go to the bakery and find out for
yourself. Interestingly enough, if you look at the photos on their website you can spot a few there.
Afterword:
The whole experience left me feeling very uncomfortable. Should I have gone with my gut feeling and left the poor man alone? After all, not everyone wants publicity, however well intentioned it may be. I came in, unannounced, and put him on the spot.
For me, this incident raises an interesting issue. Do we, as bloggers, have the right to go into every restaurant and business, take notes and photos and then “publish” that information? What do you think? What are the legal and ethical boundaries here?
I’m curious to hear what kind of experiences other bloggers have had with reluctant subjects. Do you ask people before taking photos or do you just start snapping away? Or do you take them on the sly when no one is looking?
I don’t understand his reluctance to reveal prices. This isn’t a used car dealership. Anyone can walk into the bakery and get that information. From my experience, customers who buy artisan bread buy it because it tastes better and they prefer a hand-made loaf to a commercially baked product filled with preservatives and dough conditioners.
Yes, it is more expensive. But who are his competitors? I know of only 4 other bakeries in all of San Diego County that offer artisan, European-style breads: Bread & Cie, Bread on Market, Sadie Rose, and Con Pane. Granted, two of them have large wholesale operations. But I don’t think anyone is going to drive from Escondido to Hillcrest, for example, just to save 50 cents* on a loaf of bread.
*Hypothetical, does not reflect actual prices!
Or is it the grocery stores that are undercutting him? Personally, I
would much rather buy my bread directly from a baker than from VONS. I
love bakeries—the sight of all those loaves lined up neatly on the
shelves, the variety, the smell of baking bread in the air, the dusting
of flour all over the countertops.
Jose, I wish you all the best. Running your own business, especially a family-run bakery like yours--open 12 hours a day, 6 days a week--can't be easy. I liked your semolina bread, by the way. I’d like to stop by again soon.
I’ll leave my camera in the car.

Onward: Temecula, ho, ho, ho!