Just off Shoreditch High Street, at the bottom of Hackney Road, on the right side going up, is a green bakery. This is Altamura Bakehouse. The keen European traveller could recognise the name of the Apulian town located in the south of Italy. As per their name, they focus on Apulian baking specialties, from their specialty semolina flour “Pane d’Altamura” to focaccia sandwiches and fresh sweet cornetti and brioches filled with gooey goodness. We spent a morning with Mino, co-owner and head baker, while he used Owley Farm mushrooms and Italian produce provided by All Greens to cook seasonal bread-based dishes.
Tristan Benhamou: Alright Mino, how did you start cooking?
Mino Filomeno: My first experience was in Italy maybe 20 years ago. I started as a KP. 25 years ago, actually. And then slowly, I found someone who believed in me and put me in the right position, year after year. I worked in Italy as a chef. Now it’s been 12 years I’ve been in London. After 12 years being a head chef in London, I started to think about myself, to open something that’s mine, and not work for other people.
I come from Altamura, which is very famous for its bread. I’m passionate about dough and bread, and so I focused on this project, which is about my traditions, where I came from, which is the bread from Altamura. In fact, I even use the flour, it comes from Altamura.
TB: What kind of restaurants were you working for before deciding to open the bakehouse?
MF: Actually, in London, I always worked in British places. I worked for 15 years in Italian places in Italy, and for me it didn’t make sense to come to London and work in Italian restaurants. Yes, now I’ve opened my own Italian bakery, but I’ve always been interested in new flavours, new ways to cook. Working for British restaurants or French restaurants, or whatever, was the best way for me to stay in London and learn new things.
TB: So, you’ve been open for 6 months? How is it going for Altamura and what’s next for you guys?
MF: Yeah, 6 months. Me and my partner, Antonio. I’m in and he’s out, and I’m the hands and he’s the brain, basically.
My goal is to spread my bread to restaurants and to the public, because I really like the bread.
Focaccia is for my shop. But the bread I want to spread with other restaurants because it’s different. There’s a different flour from what you would typically find in London.
There are many gluten-free flours. This is not gluten-free. But it’s different. I have many customers who come and say they can finally eat the bread, especially Italian people.
Because, you know, in London the flour is different. But it’s not bad. It’s not better or worse, it’s just different.
I think it is a good bread to heat, to make many things. The goal is to open another shop, because we are in Shoreditch and many people ask, where is the other branch? We don’t have another branch because many people come from West London. They know Altamura. And then on the weekend, just once a month, they can come, you know.
So my goal is to open another shop in Central or West London.
TB: So, you’re trying to be an ambassador for Pane d’Altamura?
MF: Actually yeah, exactly.
TB: How would you say that your relationship with All Greens affects your creativity?
MF: I used to work in London with many suppliers. It’s the first time with All Greens, because one of my chef friends advised me to use All Greens, so I tried.
I’m very happy about the way to order, the app. With the other suppliers, you know, you have to call or send mail or something. But we don’t have to with All Greens. I’m very happy. There are a lot of ingredients and goods, even from Italy, and obviously I’m from Italy, so I have a look for the Italian ingredients. It’s quite tough normally to find good produce from Italy for many things, but I didn’t have any problem with All Greens.
The people with whom I have a relation, which is a physical relation, I can call, okay, you have this, I can do this, I can do that, when will these products be available. So it is a fruitful relation.
So I’m very happy and even the drivers, the drivers are very kind actually. I want to say this. I found, I think, the best supplier in London.
TB: Anything you would like to add Mino?
MF: The bread [Pane d’Altamura] is something I think people need to test. It’s very different from anything else because it’s made of 90% semolina flour.
As we finish the interview, the lunch rush is coming in so Mino heads back to freshly make sandwiches for the patrons already queuing from the counter to the door.
Photos by Tristan Benhamou
https://www.tristanbenhamou.com/
