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Giving Roslindale Its Bread - Daily Except Sunday
Word of this has spread rapidly to the surrounding communities. It is a well-known fact that even Jamaica Plainers are lining up to buy their daily bread from this Roslindale emporium, a definite feather in Fornax's chef s hat. Fornax Bakery is located at the comer of Corinth and Cohasset streets in the building which many people will remember as home for years to Althea's card and gift store. For those who knew it then, a word of advice, you really should see it now! The store has been lovingly restored to its former grandeur and literally transformed into a truly beautiful place by its young proprietor, Chris Fallon, who was ably assisted by a supportive crew of family and friends. The people responsible for this transformation include his three brothers, Keith, an architect, Bill a contractor/engineer, and Gregg who now works with Chris in the store. All of them helped him with the construction work. His wife, Kimberly, provided valuable decorating tips, along with much-needed moral support. 'Me wonderful color scheme was chosen by an artist, Victoria Desagun, who is a friend of Kimberly's and yet another of her friends, Paul McIntyre, an architect, also helped out. Fortunately, each of the store's prior owners had merely covered over the existing layers as they adapted the space to suit their needs. As a result, Chris and his crew removed layer upon layer of plaster and paneling from the walls. They tore up carpeting, under which was floor tile, under which was tar paper, before exposing a true work of art, the original hardwood floor. It took four months of grueling labor to complete the project, including many fiftyhour weeks for the principal players involved. Yet, Chris is the first to admit that it was definitely worth the effort. As he explains, "We put our hearts into this. We wanted to give you an Old World feeling when you come into the shop." Their aim was for the decor, like the bread they sell, to have that old-fashioned quality and goodness lacking in most of today's creations. They have certainly succeeded with both the place and the product. Shining in the light, the bakery's beautiful hardwood floors run the length of the store. Its tin ceilings and tin wall borders are once again exposed, along with its gorgeous wainscoting. The green and rust colors accented by the white ceilings are clean-looking and seem perfect for a bakery. Commenting on a beautiful old cabinet with glass doors that had been lovingly sponge-painted to match the color scheme, I was amazed to learn of its origins. Chris and company fished it from the sidewalk on Cummins Highway where it had been discarded as trash. What a find! Fornax itself is a true find for the connoisseur of great bread. Chris willingly shares the secret behind his success stating that "time and temperature" are the keys to making wonderful bread. You have to give the dough time to ferment and you can't judge its readiness by the clock because the time it takes to rise differs every day. Explaining that humidity and temperature impact the rising of the dough, Chris pointed out that each recipe too requires a different amount of fermentation. He states, "It's a simple art, but there is a lot to making bread." Whatever your favorite loaf is, you can find it at Fornax They make a Northern Italian sour dough bread that is Chris' personal favorite. It differs from the San Francisco style in that it is not as sour. However, it's just as crunchy-crusted as its Golden Gate counterpart and in my opinion, it's even more delicious. Fornax's ovens turn out numerous other varieties of bread, including rye, whole wheat, multi-grain with sunflower seeds and sesame. Not each type is available every day. For example fresh rosemary is baked only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Also, due to the fact that baking bread is an art, not a science, and carries with it all the temperature variables discussed above, the same type of bread is not ready at precisely the same time each day. The bakery produces traditional Italian white loaves with crunchy crusts, a Romano cheese bread, and a tasty soft-crusted white garlic loaf, my cousins' favorite. Their specialties also include dark pumpernickel, Calamata olive, and fresh rosemary varieties. In addition, they make mouth-watering foccaccia loaves every day in flavors that include brie with golden raisins; blue cheese with walnuts; sundried tomato with Romano cheese, my personal favorite; red-skinned potato; and pepper and onion, my uncle's personal preference. Not neglecting what nutritionists insist is the most important meal of the day, Fornax even produces a breakfast foccaccia topped with tasty cooked apples. Also found on their breakfast menu are tasty scones filled with raisins. They are so substantial and hearty that one is enough for a complete meal. Saturday is a very special day at the bakery. Knowing that families are looking for extra treats for the weekend, Fornax's ovens turn out cinnamon twists and brioche to satisfy sweet-toothed children and their hungry parents. During the week, the bakery produces about 120 loaves a day. On Saturday, that figure triples as business is very brisk. Looking at the gleaming floor and thinking of my own choice to put tile, not hardwood in my own kitchen, based on cleaning reasons, I asked Chris how he manages to keep the floor so spotless. He replied, "it's easy because this is a grease-free environment. The basic ingredients are flour, water, salt, and yeast." When asked how all this came about, Chris replied that after spending about ten years in the restaurant business, he was ready for a change. At the last restaurant he managed, he developed a friendship with a baker, eventually following him to Ins shop where he served as his apprentice. From him, he learned all about baking bread. Ready to open his own bakery, he searched for the right location and found it in Roslindale which he calls "a lost gem in the City". Praising our area and its still undeveloped potential, he states that "The Square is on the rise. I like Roslindale and think it has a lot going for it. When you look at the demographics, Roslindale is up and coming." Enthusiastic about the new Village Market that is nearing completion right across from his store, Chris stated, "The market building is a gift to the Square." He is impressed by the quality of the structure and its excellent design features. As for the neighborhoods, Chris states that Roslindale has "nice houses with great architecture." He is so committed to the community that he even bought a house here which is within walking distance to his bakery. Fornax. Bakery is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is closed on Sunday, primarily to give its tired proprietor and his brother a day to rest. To make the dough rise on time, the baker has to be an early riser. Chris is busy baking at 4:00 a.m., an ungodly hour of the day in my humble opinion. As I sat there chatting with Chris on a warm March day with the screen door to the bakery closed and its main door open, I could hear the sounds of the Village. I watched two women passing by and overheard one of them say, "Doesn't that bread smell wonderful!" One customer came in and after buying two loaves asked to sample a third. Chomping away at the sour dough variety, he turned and said to me, "This bread is excellent!" The bakery has already developed a reputation for excellence and Chris is on a firstname basis with many of his customers. All the bread sold at Fornax has been baked fresh that day. As Chris explains, "We don't sell day-old stuff. If you're paying for it, you should get a fresh loaf of bread. We charge a fair price for a good product." You truly get what you pay for at Fornax. The loaves that are left over at the end of the day do not go to waste. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, they are donated to the Food Pantry run by the Roslindale Congre-gational Church. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, the leftovers are sent to the Shattuck Shelter while Saturday" s extras go to the guests at the Pine Street Inn and Rosie's Place. When asked how someone named Fallon ended up with a bakery named Fomax, Chris taught me a lesson in mythology. He said that he did some research into his choice of names and decided on Fomax, who was the goddess of the hearth in ancient Roman mythology. Explaining that the word came from the Latin, "furno" which means furnace, he pointed out that Fomax. is also the name of a constellation. Hopefully, Fornax. Bakery's star is rising, along with its dough. So far, Chris reports, that "...business is good and very consistent. We have been well-received here and have a good customer base". We wish Fornax Bakery and its owner every success in the years ahead and hope that it will someday equal the records for longevity set by businesses like the tailor and cobbler shops also profiled in this issue.
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It's exciting to see new businesses appearing in Roslindale Village. One of these recent additions is Fomax Bakery which, ever since its opening day on October 6, 1997, has been providing local residents with the most deficious bread around.