In my house growing up, we ate a lot more rice than we did bread.

Rice in Korean culture is a symbol of life and prosperity, and it’s certainly part of the every day; but it wasn’t until I experienced life with my husband Blaise’s family in France that I understood the deeper meaning of bread – and the serious rituals around making, buying, and storing it.

In the Bertrand home, Blaise’s father Alain is the official bread-keeper of the house. He makes sure that bread is first on the table, specifically cuts it to pair with the food being served, and oversees its storage with serious dedication.

On the morning we sat around my San Francisco kitchen table and envisioned all of the designs that would become the Aplat Collection, a chic and simple way to carry fresh loaves of bread and prolong its shelf life was one of the first things we considered. Through my newly discovered connection to bread, I have come to understand its own cultural meaning around hearth, home, warmth and community.

Now Blaise is our family’s official bread-keeper, filling the house with intoxicating, yeasty, sweet smells as his bread bakes. Now we break his delicious, warm and loving bread together with our own children –  and a new shared tradition is carried on.

Many thanks,

Shujan