Skip to Content
Talkhouse home
Talkhouse home
Podcast

490: Building a Cult Bakery with ALF’s Amadou Ly

Amadou Ly is the baker-owner of ALF Bakery, a destination for delights like mushroom danishes and laminated baguettes in New York City’s Chelsea Market. After 18 years of jobs in restaurants, from dishwasher to pastry chef to chocolatier, he apprenticed under Roger Gural at the iconic Arcade Bakery. Arcade closed, and now he’s making some of the most exciting bread and pastries in the city at ALF. In this episode, we talk about the craftsmanship, technique, and passion that guides his work. Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about their home bread baking journeys. Does one co-host (hint: Matt) aspire to bake more bread in the coming months, and start a bread practice? Does Aliza have a “bread person” past? They also talk about some great recent bread baking books that can help kick-start this journey.   Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you.  MORE FROM AMADOU LY:Meet the West African Baker Reshaping French Pastry [Atlas Obscura]​​Inside the Menu at the New Spot From an Alum of the Legendary Arcade Bakery [Eater]This Is TASTE 488: There's a Bread Baker Inside All of Us with David Tamarkin [TASTE]

By This Is TASTE

3:00 AM EST on November 4, 2024

Note: this podcast contains explicit content.

Episode Info

  • Episode490
Amadou Ly is the baker-owner of ALF Bakery, a destination for delights like mushroom danishes and laminated baguettes in New York City’s Chelsea Market. After 18 years of jobs in restaurants, from dishwasher to pastry chef to chocolatier, he apprenticed under Roger Gural at the iconic Arcade Bakery. Arcade closed, and now he’s making some of the most exciting bread and pastries in the city at ALF. In this episode, we talk about the craftsmanship, technique, and passion that guides his work.Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about their home bread baking journeys. Does one co-host (hint: Matt) aspire to bake more bread in the coming months, and start a bread practice? Does Aliza have a “bread person” past? They also talk about some great recent bread baking books that can help kick-start this journey.  Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple, or star us on Spotify. We’d love to hear from you. MORE FROM AMADOU LY:Meet the West African Baker Reshaping French Pastry [Atlas Obscura]​​Inside the Menu at the New Spot From an Alum of the Legendary Arcade Bakery [Eater]This Is TASTE 488: There's a Bread Baker Inside All of Us with David Tamarkin [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

Related Stories

Stud Country (Sean Monaghan)

July 22, 2026

Jonathan Meiburg (Shearwater)

Jonathan Meiburg on keeping dog noises on recordings, not having children, field recordings, caracaras, and his travels on a boat in Antarctica.

July 22, 2026

Transmissions :: Mouse on Mars on Lee “Scratch” Perry

The German electronic duo on their work with the late dub pioneer.

July 22, 2026

973. – Shep Rose

July 22, 2026

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Abel Ferrara

The legendary writer-director opens up about everything from Buddhism and bad acid trips to social media addiction and sobriety.