The bakery, which began in 1887, was originally called Kern City French Bakery, and got its start under the proprietorship of Marius M. Espitallier. After the fire of mid-1898, Espitallier built again constructing this time a brick building which housed a curious combination of bakery and saloon. At the time, good French bread sold for six cents a loaf. 
Especially in the early years of its existence the Kern City French Bakery frequently changed hands. Joe Bresson took it over briefly and then in turn sold it to Augustin Amour whom, in 1912, built a new bakery next door to the old one. With an added second story the old building under its new owner, Joseph Espitallier , became the Hotel Des Alpes. For a time, Marcel Reynaud and Joseph Gueyden were partners with Amour in the operation of the Kern City French Bakery, but in 1918 Gueyden became the sole owner. For him and his wife Lea (Marin) the bakery building was both a place of business and a family residence for many years. Mr. Gueydan did all his own work with the help of one man. He'd start mixing his dough just before midnight and finish baking about 9 in the morning, then would deliver the bread to his customer's homes on the delivery wagon. Mrs. Gueydan would sell the bread in their retail store. In December, 1944 Pierre and Juanita Laxague with partners, Michel Erreca, Antoine Laxague and Jean Baptiste Elgart, purchased the Parisian Bakery on East 18th Street from Pete Borda. Laxague and his associates changed the name of the bakery to the Pyrenees Bakery in honor of their native province.
In 1947 the Laxagues and their partners purchased the Kern City French Bakery from Mr. & Mrs. Joe Gueydan and shortly there after the Laxagues became the sole owners of the bakery. The bakery was renamed Pyrenees Bakery. Pierre would make the bread and Juanita would deliver it to the restaurants and markets. Pierre continued to use its old fashioned brick oven and his own old world formula for bread dough. He insisted that the brick ovens were responsible for the bread's distinctive flavor, although the newer metal ovens enabled bakers to achieve the same high standard product. The Pyrenees Bakery expanded ten times its original size from a three-person operation into a company that employees more than 30 loyal people. When the Laxagues bought the bakery from Joe Gueydan in 1947 one of their first orders came from Montana. Juanita never cashed the $1.00 check for shipment of four loaves of the bakery's famous sourdough bread to a Montanan who had once passed through Bakersfield and enjoyed its distinctive flavor. The entire Laxague family was involved in the operation of the bakery. Juanita assisted in the business end; their son Michel was doughmaster, and their daughter, Marianne, filled in where needed. Michel passed away in 1979 and Pierre in 1993. Juanita and Marianne continued to run the business until December of 1996 when they sold the business. On November 3, 2001, Juanita and Marianne Laxague reacquired the business and are committed to producing bread products of the highest quality by using the same old-fashioned process of a starter dough each morning, which makes this bread unique.
The bread is still baked seven days a week and is delivered throughout Bakersfield. The bakery also serves most of the major restaurants and grocery stores in the area.
|
