The latest food causing waves among the culinary landscape is something very unassuming: rye bread. Rye on 285th Lafayette of New York is a recently-opened bread shop dedicated entirely to rye sourdough bread.
This shop has a deep history in Austria, as the business has been running primarily in Europe for three generations. The bakery has over 40 locations mainly based in Austria, where they also have their headquarters with a coffee roastery and flour mill. When wanting to expand to America, Martin Auer, the newest generation to oversee the bread business, did not want to open a traditional bakery since sourdough rye bread is his staple.
Made with salt, water, rye flour imported from Austria, and “time,” as described on the website, the sourdough bread is fermented for up to 48 hours and each loaf sells for a whopping $60. The inside of the bakery is sleek and modern. There is a wall of rye bread hung up as art and as soon as you walk in, you are offered a small tasting of the famous bread. A variety of the rye bread slices topped with butter, hummus, smoked salmon, or hazelnut are spread across several glass cases.
Ella Kahan (@chewyorkcity) got a selection of breads with spreads priced from $6 to $14, and liked most of them. “The goat cheese is pretty delicious,” she said of the hot honey goat cheese slice. “The rye bread is very flavorful. It’s kind of overpowering, but I don’t mind it.
Food account @nycfoodfaves also visited the Rye this week and liked what they had to offer. “The bread itself is super dense and has a really great flavor.”
But there has been some backlash, particularly over the price. One loaf of the bakery’s rye bread costs $60. TikTok creators @squashbot and @hammerthymee are among many who have mixed feelings about the business model. Hammer specifically criticized the use of “time” emphasized on the company’s website. “They are trying to pass it off like time makes it more expensive,” he said. “Every piece of bread needs time. A ma and pa shop’s bread doesn’t cost less because it takes less time to make.”
After getting a 15 minute introduction speech about the bread, @squashbot bought two slices of bread — chocolate and hummus flavors — for $20 and was consequently disappointed. “It’s just bread, bro,” he said after trying the hummus flavor. “I’m not really understanding this place… they’re doing too much. But I respect it.”
Another TikTok user, @wordswithbones, claims that the intention behind selling bread, specifically only one type of bread, for such a high price is for “shock and awe bolstered by pretention.”
“People will be curious, they will buy it, they will try it, and, assuming it is really that good, the wealthier among those people will buy it again,” he said in his video. “And then it will inevitably become a point of status to have sliced Martin Auer rye at your dinner party.”
Other influencers agree with this vein of thinking, one being food content creator and private chef Isabelle Jardin (@isabellejardin).
“It feels like a very pretentious take on a food that’s universally accessible,” she said in a direct message to Spoon University.
While Jardin can understand the expenses involved in solely using authentic Austrian ingredients, she finds the lack of price point clarity upsetting. “[It] reads as ‘our process is the same as most bakeries, except we are better than others [and] if you can’t afford quality then don’t come here,’” she said. “I truly hope this isn’t their goal tone but they have to understand how insulting this is.”
One thing is certain — the store is still open and has not changed any of its price points.