Hey Brother Baker Verified listing

It has been said and should be repeated: Hey Brother Baker has long been Long Beach’s most underrated bake space. Owners Jesse Hellen-Lloyd and wife Christina Wilson have finally opened their brick-and-mortar space after announcing they had secured a location on Anaheim Street in the Zaferia neighborhood.

Jesse and Christina started Hey Brother in their garage as a hobby back in 2016. With a brother working at Outerlands, the famed San Francisco eatery known for its farm-centric offerings and house sourdough, Jesse was beyond impressed. Like many in his generation, he had the basic knowledge of how to make certain foods already embedded in his soul. He had experimented with beer. Cheese. Pickles. And bread offered an outright dream for someone who was a musical engineer: It requires a shit-ton of precision with definitively artistic slant

And eventually joined by head baker Michael Simenson and helper Jojo Chu.

When it had reached excellence, Jesse’s baking style was rooted in restraint, repetition, and an almost stubborn respect for the fundamentals. He wasn’t chasing novelty for novelty’s sake; he was chasing feel: How dough responded to time. Or temperature. And definitely touch. His breads leaned toward the rustic and the traditional. Crackling crusts. Open crumbs. Gentle sourness. And shapes that wore their imperfections honestly.

Yes, there are the mighty loaves: Perfect baguettes. Ciabatta. Fougasse. Alpine rye. Olive levain. Rose Street botard. Brioche. Jalapeño cheddar… All crafted across the past nine years via Jesse buying books and teaching himself through trial and error, Hey Brother Baker’s garage space scored a walk-in freezer and three stacked Rofco ovens.

“Yes, of course, there’s the bread,” Jesse said. “But what Michael has done with the pastries program has been incredible. His coffee cake is one of the best I’ve had… And then we’ve really honed in on our coffee program.”

Written and photos by Brian Addison.

For Brian Addison's full feature on Hey Brother Baker, click here.