Colossus Bread Verified listing

You know how a simple loaf of bread can feel like a love letter to your hometown? That’s exactly what Kristin built with Colossus Bread. It is, after all, a bakery born from passion, persistence, and a hometown dream.

Kristin, a Long Beach native, majored in history and economics at CSULB. Like so many of us digging through life’s interests, she ended up working in cafés to make ends meet. That café culture stuck—a feeling of vibrancy, creativity, and connection. But something was missing: pastries that truly paired with the coffee experience felt scarce. So she decided to learn how to bake them herself. First stop? The kitchens of Osteria Mozza in L.A. under the helm of Nancy Silverton. Then the Bay Area’s finest: Petit Crenn. Outerlands. Octavia. Here, she mastered scratch baking and fell for the art of long fermentation, stone-milled grains, and that elusive, high-hydration loaf.

Back in Long Beach by 2018, armed with technique and ambition, she launched a cottage operation—selling croissants and loaves at farmers markets and quiet pop-ups.

Then, in August 2019, she opened the doors to her first Colossus Bread bakery in San Pedro. It was a tiny, 700‑square‑foot gem next to Chori‑Man, and suddenly locals—from coffee‑shop regulars to longshore workers—lined up down the block for her French‑meets‑California pastries. Soon enough, success opened doors. By 2021, she was back in Long Beach with a second location in Belmont Shore—a fuller kitchen, proper mixers, bread oven, and new products like baguettes and grab‑and‑go treats. This was largely led by her bringing on “Jeff de Cuisine” Jeff Paletz, who has helped defined the space beyond the pastries: Pizzas, sandwiches, savory items…

For Brian Addison's latest feature on Colossus Bread, click here.