Some Frenchmen claim that bread is in decline in this nation that is known for treasured loaves. Apparently, French kids are as crazy as their American cousins for snacks like Doritos. But it’s too easy to blame the young. Honestly, initially during my summer trip here I was surprised as the lacking quality of bread at local boulangeries and restaurants. Pale crusts, flaccid and under-fermented specimens, it led me to ask what happened?

But fortune led me to a taxi driver who brought me to Pierre Ragot’s bakery on Rue Cabot (Marseille).  Great breads here reminded me of why the French developed such a reputation for their bread. Merci Pierre.