Issa Niemeijer-Brown did something unusual: he graduated cum laude in Sociology and then decided to become a baker. Not a classic route for someone who would eventually win the 2023 World Food Book Award for his book ‘A Book about Bread: A Baker's Manual’ - a handbook for bakers that earned him international recognition.
At Gebr. Niemeijer, everything is about craftsmanship. All the breads and pastries are handmade and baked in a large oven with a stone floor. Niemeijer-Brown rolls out the puff pastry for the croissants himself, grinds the nuts himself, and only real butter goes into all the pastries. For the chocolate, he works with Valrhona, the top French brand for pastry chefs. The pastry flour comes from Italy, the lemons are Sicilian.
The espresso is a chapter apart. Gebr. Niemeijer serves coffee according to the espresso traditions of Turin - not the usual barista coffee you find everywhere, but a firmer and more specific approach to the cup. In doing so, the bakery fits into a broader philosophy: every item on offer is deliberately chosen and has an origin.
Niemeijer-Brown rolls out the puff pastry for the croissants himself, grinds the nuts himself, and only real butter goes into all the pastries.
Sourdough bread requires several days of production and the supply therefore changes daily. That rhythm is inherent in Gebr. Niemeijer's concept: baking to suit the product, not the speed. The bakery is located in a multi-story building, the upper floor of which is open to guests. The atmosphere combines that of a Parisian boulangerie with an Amsterdam neighborhood bakery - a conscious choice by Niemeijer-Brown, who named his business after the brothers in reference to family roots.