Mondor, a boulangerie with stylish white brick walls that appears along Hakko Dori on the way to ASPAM, is “the place to go for hard bread” in Aomori. The authentic taste of her beautiful bread will surely be favored in France and Tokyo. The dough is superb, with the aroma of wheat rising as you bite into it.

When baking bread, he says, “Intuition is the key.” The Intuition to find just the right balance of temperature, humidity, and flour, conditions that vary slightly from day to day, is a skill cultivated over many years of experience.

There are simple meal breads, authentic baguette sandwiches with prosciutto, camembert, and tuna, and, of course, a wide range of sweet pastries with beautiful layers of butter. Seasonal breads are also popular, such as bread with a generous amount of Aomori’s Dakekimi (corn) in the dough. The bakery’s owner says, “I want to use local ingredients as much as possible, as long as I can keep the price low for everyday use.”

The bakery’s name and logo have remained the same since he first opened his own store at the age of 26, although there have been intervals.
As the name “Boulangerie & Fromage Mondor” suggests, the store also carries rare imported cheeses that Mr. Komatani, who trained for about six years at a cheese import company in Tokyo, sources. Although the recent high cost of living has raised the bar for enjoying cheese daily, the marriage of cheese and wine is still essential to good bread. Mondor, by the way, means “golden mountain” in French. There is also a cheese with the same name. In France, a law defines what a boulangerie (bakery) is and what a boulanger (baker) is. If the bakery does not meet these conditions, it cannot call itself a “bakery” or “baker.” The baguette must be 50 to 55 cm long, weigh 250 to 270 grams, and contain a maximum of 18 grams of salt per kilogram of flour. The winner of the annual contest for the best baguette in Paris has the right to have the baguette served at the Elysée Palace for one year. Protecting artisans and food culture with the whole country is a beautiful attitude. On the other hand, to keep the store in Japan for a long time, Mr. Komatani’s motto is “not to push too hard.” He refuses to open multiple stores or hold events at his store, which is visited daily by many fans who want to go there, even if it is a little far away from their home. One delightful way to make the most of a sunny day is to pick up some freshly baked bread and savor it while taking in the beautiful surroundings of Aoi Umi Park.