Richard Hart

Richard Hart was born in London in 1977. His first culinary imprinting certainly didn’t come from his family. «My mother was a terrible cook», he jokes. At 17 he started cooking professionally but it took him a few more years before he could tell «good food from ordinary food. I’ve always enjoyed feeding people, but my true love for food came later». He moved to California and found a job in the kitchen at Jeremy Fox’s Ubunto.

One day, in 2005, while he was having a walk, he noticed a small bakery. He went inside and found a very different world from the supermarkets of bread to which he was used. «There were two wood ovens. In the evening they’d sweep away the ash, the bread was moved around on wood peels – he says – The owner was a 75-year-old lady. She made bread for many restaurants, including The French Laundry before it got its own laboratory. I asked for a job there». His motto became bringing back real bread.

A few years later he discovered Tartine Bakery in San Francisco: “From the first tasting I realised I wanted to work there. I didn’t know bread could be like that: the flavour, the texture, the sound of the crust… I had to insist for a year before they hired me». At Tartine starts the new wave in bread making, using sourdough, paying attention to the type of flour... But the more successful the bakery becomes, the more Richard feels he must change again: «I spent seven years there, of which five as head baker, then we took separate roads. In 2016 I sent an email to Rene Redzepi, whom I had met on various occasions, and told him I wanted to open a bakery in London or Paris. He said: come to Copenhagen and open here».

In 2018 they opened Hart Bageri together in Frederiksberg. Every day Hart makes classics like Danish hveder or English hot cross buns, cakes, biscuits, rolls. In the end, it’s all about bread. «For me, bread is not just a product. It’s a philosophy of life. The goal is always the perfect loaf. Which I make 3 times a year maximum».