Kuluntu Bakery Coming to Fair & Square on September 14th

Want to know more about Kuluntu? Check out this Q&A with owner & baker Stephanie Leichtle Chalklen:

1. How did a girl from Coppell, Texas end up in Cape Town, South Africa baking bread? - While I was in graduate school at Texas A&M, I met my now husband, Warren, who’s from Johannesburg, South Africa. Once we graduated, we moved up to New York City, where I worked in nonprofits and eventually several high-end bakeries. After three years of living in the city, we decided to give South Africa a shot. We sold most of our belongings and headed to Cape Town. Shortly after arriving, I started Kuluntu Bakery. Kuluntu means “community” in isiXhosa, which is a South African language that’s widely spoke in Cape Town. At this stage, I was working on honing my craft (sourdough baking), teaching workshops with local nonprofits, consulting with restaurants, and brainstorming creative experiences that brought together the pastry arts, traditional South African food, and community.
2. How did Kuluntu Bakery, located in Bishop Arts District in Dallas, come into existence? - For many years, my vision has been to open a social enterprise bakery centered around women and community. I studied nonprofit management, worked for several nonprofits and then got professional baking experience in NYC. When we moved to Cape Town, I decided that I was ready to take steps towards this vision, and thus, Kuluntu Bakery was born. In just a few months, things started to take off, and I realized that I was on to something. After six months in Cape Town, we ultimately decided to move back to my home city of Dallas and bring the whole Kuluntu Bakery concept with us. We’ve been here in Dallas for just over a year and have been overwhelmed by the support for our business!
3. Congratulations on receiving the 2019 "Best of D Magazine" award for Best Bread Delivery. Your business' mission is "building community through baking and breaking bread," so it seems the community is responding well to your bakery. Tell us a little bit about what you are doing to garner such great praise. - Thank you! It’s crazy to me how much success we’ve had here so quickly. From the beginning, we’ve tried to be very authentic in how we do everything and stay rooted in South Africa and the idea of community. “Community” is a bit of a buzzword these days, but it’s something we really believe in and something that is strongly rooted in African culture, whereas American culture is more rooted in individualism. We’re trying to bring people together for a shared experience, whether it be a baking workshop or our Ubuntu Supper Club, which is our South African supper club. It really is a joint effort with my husband; he brings the South Africa side, and I bring the baking side. Secondly, Dallas doesn’t have a strong artisan baking culture. When people try true sourdough that’s made with just three ingredients — flour, water and salt — it’s a game changer! It’s delicious and very nutritious. I literally eat my bread everyday!
4. We are thrilled you will be part of our fun 7th Anniversary party "For the Loaf of Bread" Event on September 14. What yummy items will you be making and selling -  I will have a variety of sourdough loaves — country, seeded, rosemary & garlic, fig & fennel, mieliepap (white cornmeal), and Provençal (sun-dried tomatoes, olives and herbes de Provence).