The Bite that Changed the World
In 1988, Mike Paine took a bite that would change his life, and the lives of millions of Americans.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, Mike grew up like many Americans of that and the previous four or five decades: eating his mother’s lovingly prepared sandwiches made with silky smooth, marshmallow soft, bleached white bread protected from the elements in an air tight sandwich bag. Until the age of 17, It was the only bread he had ever eaten.
The bite that changed his life occurred during a trip to Europe his senior year in high school. The bus they were traveling in had made a quick lunch stop in the village of St. Martin-d’Pain in Southern Provence after a long half-day’s travel. Mike entered a rustic boulangerie with several of his friends, completely oblivious to the world changing event about to take place. Not speaking French with any fluency, he decided to order exactly what one of his friends ordered, which was a small, crusty loaf of bread the baker called a Batard. Completely baffled at what the baker had just handed him, he sat and examined what looked like a flattened football. He saw other people biting into the deflated footballs and decided to take a hesitant bite. He saw other people biting into the deflated footballs and decided to take a hesitant bite.
Mike had never experienced anything like it in his life. When he recovered his ability to speak he asked his instructor what they were eating and was told that it was bread...real bread. Mike bought 10 other loaves of various varieties he found in the little boulangerie and devoured them in the bus. At the next stop he bought 10 more.
That day, Mike found his calling in life: he would become a bread evangelist. He would wake his family and friends from the silky smooth, marshmallow soft delusion they were eating – wake them to the crispy, crusty, flavorful truth of real bread baked with real ingredients in real ovens.
After graduating from high school Mike spent several years as an apprentice to some of Europe’s most acclaimed traditional bakers. He perfected his craft in dozens of rustic boulangeries, panetterias and panaderias throughout Europe – learning secrets and steps handed down over millennia.
Finally, in 1995, Mike returned home to Denver, Colorado and opened his first bakery called Old World Bakery in the historic Ice House building in Denver’s trendy LoDo district. With a décor themed around the authentic Old World bakeries he had lived in over the prior 5 years, it was an instant and massive success.
Inspired by the response he received to his concept, in 1997 Mike decided to introduce the rest of the country to the wonders of real bread. To do this, he expanded beyond bread to include lunch and dinner items built around the core concept of real bread. He renamed the expanded concept Focaccio’s Old World Bakery and Café to capture the appeal of hand made, European-inspired breads, sandwiches and pizzas.
In 2002 Focaccio’s opened their 100th store and began franchising the concept. In 2006 they hit 500 stores and expanded their hours and product line to include delicious breakfast items based on the same core concept that had driven their success to that point: real bread.
Now, in 2011 there are a total of 1121 company owned and franchised Focaccio’s Old World Bakery and Café’s open in the U.S.
In 1988, Mike Paine took a bite that would change his life, and the lives of millions of Americans.
Born and raised in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado, Mike grew up like many Americans of that and the previous four or five decades: eating his mother’s lovingly prepared sandwiches made with silky smooth, marshmallow soft, bleached white bread protected from the elements in an air tight sandwich bag. Until the age of 17, It was the only bread he had ever eaten.
The bite that changed his life occurred during a trip to Europe his senior year in high school. The bus they were traveling in had made a quick lunch stop in the village of St. Martin-d’Pain in Southern Provence after a long half-day’s travel. Mike entered a rustic boulangerie with several of his friends, completely oblivious to the world changing event about to take place. Not speaking French with any fluency, he decided to order exactly what one of his friends ordered, which was a small, crusty loaf of bread the baker called a Batard. Completely baffled at what the baker had just handed him, he sat and examined what looked like a flattened football. He saw other people biting into the deflated footballs and decided to take a hesitant bite. He saw other people biting into the deflated footballs and decided to take a hesitant bite.
Mike had never experienced anything like it in his life. When he recovered his ability to speak he asked his instructor what they were eating and was told that it was bread...real bread. Mike bought 10 other loaves of various varieties he found in the little boulangerie and devoured them in the bus. At the next stop he bought 10 more.
That day, Mike found his calling in life: he would become a bread evangelist. He would wake his family and friends from the silky smooth, marshmallow soft delusion they were eating – wake them to the crispy, crusty, flavorful truth of real bread baked with real ingredients in real ovens.
After graduating from high school Mike spent several years as an apprentice to some of Europe’s most acclaimed traditional bakers. He perfected his craft in dozens of rustic boulangeries, panetterias and panaderias throughout Europe – learning secrets and steps handed down over millennia.
Finally, in 1995, Mike returned home to Denver, Colorado and opened his first bakery called Old World Bakery in the historic Ice House building in Denver’s trendy LoDo district. With a décor themed around the authentic Old World bakeries he had lived in over the prior 5 years, it was an instant and massive success.
Inspired by the response he received to his concept, in 1997 Mike decided to introduce the rest of the country to the wonders of real bread. To do this, he expanded beyond bread to include lunch and dinner items built around the core concept of real bread. He renamed the expanded concept Focaccio’s Old World Bakery and Café to capture the appeal of hand made, European-inspired breads, sandwiches and pizzas.
In 2002 Focaccio’s opened their 100th store and began franchising the concept. In 2006 they hit 500 stores and expanded their hours and product line to include delicious breakfast items based on the same core concept that had driven their success to that point: real bread.
Now, in 2011 there are a total of 1121 company owned and franchised Focaccio’s Old World Bakery and Café’s open in the U.S.