Jeffrey H. Yankellow, Executive Vice President/Executive Chef

As a 19-year-old from Baltimore, Jeffrey Yankellow visited Paris and tasted “good bread” for the first time.

Now this young star who brought home the Gold will call Phoenix home with his wife, Ananda, as he creates his dream bakery – SIMPLY BREAD –which he promises will be unlike any other in the Valley. His philosophy springs from Old World traditions based on a simple foundation: “I would rather sell one loaf of bread that is truly great than $20 million worth of merely good bread.”

As with many professions that combine equal part passion with textbook know-how, osmosis seems to be a vital component in the equation for success. His father worked for a catering company, and Yankellow happily absorbed the finer points of the business at his side. He began his career as a short-order cook at the age of 14, and while his goal was to become a chef, he always had “an itch for this baking thing,” which he showcased at family gatherings and holidays.

After graduating from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island with degrees in both Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management, Yankellow began working for a small bistro in Baltimore where he “learned about great ingredients and focused on doing everything right.” It was a lesson he learned well. Determined to work for one of the country’s top chefs, he wrote at least a dozen chefs and offered to work for free. His fortitude was rewarded by Charlie Trotter who hired him for an entry level position. In just over two years, Yankellow had worked his way up through the kitchen pecking order to sous chef. Recognized as one of the greatest chefs, running one of the finest restaurants in the world, Charlie Trotter’s deliberately detailed processes greatly influenced Yankellow’s principles. “I learned that the process maintains the integrity, and I cherished the 10-to-15 steps required to produce each dish. This is a fundamental concept that I apply to bread baking: success is in the process.”

Two years later, Yankellow was offered the opportunity to try his hand as Executive Vice President/Executive Chef for the Hudson Street Baking Company in Baltimore, and was responsible for the development and production of artisan breads for a group of five different casual and fine dining restaurants. He diversified his skills at Hawthorne Fine Breakfast Pastry where he specialized in European and American style yeasted and unyeasted breakfast items. As he became more versatile, so did the opportunities. He soon discovered a knack and passion for teaching and accepted a position as assistant instructor of the National Baking Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In October of 2001, Yankellow joined the prestigious San Francisco Baking Institute as baking and pastry instructor, where he taught classes in artisan bread and pastry making for continuing education programs and professional career training. He also served as an on-site consultant for both small and large bakeries developing formulas, refining techniques and troubleshooting. The scope of such projects ranged from creating menus and training of artisan breads, pastries and sandwiches for Wheatberry Bakery and Café in Pasadena, California, to working with Paris Baguette, a chain of bakeries with 1,200 stores in Seoul, Korea, in the production of multiple varieties of sourdough bread.

Under the tutelage of Didier Rosada, then head instructor at the San Francisco Baking Institute and coach of the USA Team since 1999, Yankellow became intrigued with the competitive concept and served as an assistant in the Coupe du Monde in 2002. Energized by that experience, Yankellow dedicated his weekdays to teaching, then spent his entire weekend perusing products and experimenting in the kitchen to create new flavor combinations. His tenacity and talent for the craft of artisan baking were honored when he was tapped to represent the Bread Bakers Guild Team USA 2005 in the Baguette and Specialty Breads Category. His team members would compete in Viennoiserie (breakfast pastry) and Artistic Design, with all three of them collaborating in the new category of Savory Selection.

Training for the World Cup of Baking required Olympian efforts, as the three-man team spent hundreds of hours together planning, studying and executing, in addition to the arduous individualized regimen required for their specific categories. The hurdles in the Baguette and Specialty Bread Category were numerous as Yankellow had just seven hours to make 50 baguettes, with varying weight and decorative restrictions, in an unfamiliar kitchen. An equally daunting unknown was the taste preference of the judges, as flavors that are popular in the United States typically vary greatly from those preferred in Europe.

Twelve international teams competed in the 2005 Coupe du Monde and the gold trophy was awarded to a flour-dusted and deliriously exhausted World Champion Bread Bakers Guild Team USA 2005. There was a gentle irony that Yankellow’s quest to make “good bread” was being lauded in the city that had ignited his creativity and had provided so much inspiration. Perhaps it made his success just a bit sweeter.