Boudin Bakery (“Boudin’s”)[1] was established in 1849 in a tent in North Beach[2] by Isidore Boudin. It is the oldest continually operating business in San Francisco. The story goes that Isidore, the son of bakers from Burgundy, France, got his original sourdough starter (the primary source of an active leavening agent that is fed with water and flour) from a miner who had come to San Francisco in search of gold. That same starter is still used today, stored in several locations in fireproof vaults. In 1852 Isidore moved his bakery to 319 Dupont (now Grant). He married in 1873 while also beginning home-deliveries in horse-drawn wagons. Customers would put a nail in their front door and Isidore would slam the loaf onto the nail. In 1887 Boudin died, and his wife Louise and their daughter continued to operate the bakery. They eventually moved to 815 Broadway.
When the 1906 Earthquake struck on the morning of April 18th[3], Louise managed to grab a bucket of starter before the bakery burned to the ground. She rebuilt Boudin’s at Geary and 10th, where it remains today.
Steven Giraudo Sr. immigrated from Italy and got a job at Boudin’s. He bought the bakery from Louise in 1941 and operated the company with his son. In 1975 Boudin’s opened a second bakery and café at Fisherman’s Wharf[4]. In 1983 Boudin’s merged with their biggest competitor, Colombo Baking, to form the San Francisco French Bread Company. The company became a household name and Giraudo was dubbed ”The Sourdough King”. In 1994 Giraudo Sr. retired and sold the company. He died 3 years later at age 84. In 2002 the Giraudo family bought back Boudin’s. Today the company sells its famous sourdough bread both nationally and internationally.
[1] Visit them at www.boudinbakery.com
[2] North Beach: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5026
[3] 1906 Earthquake and Fires: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=2849
[4] Fisherman’s Wharf: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=4431
