Zack Hall is a busy man. The business he started in 2014 out of his apartment on Clark Street in West Hollywood now has seven locations, and he told us he tries to spend time at at least three locations every day. So we were excited to spend some time with him a few weeks ago, learning more about his plans for the newest  Clark Street bakery at 139 1/2 N. Larchmont (the space most recently occupied by Uncool Burgers).
Hall gave us a quick tour inside the space, which he hopes to open in mid-May, and described his design for the interior. It’s simple. Expect to see a window full delicious baked goods to beckon you inside!
Hall grew up in LA, mostly on the west side of the city, and started his professional career in the music business as a performer. Once he and his wife (Michaela Westerlund Hall) decided they wanted to start a family, he decided he needed to make a career change. But he still wanted to do something he was passionate about, so he decided to focus on food. Inspired by a summer working in a wood-fired bakery in the Swedish countryside where Michaela’s family lives, Hall returned home to become a full-time bread baker. Â His first commercial customer, Lindy & Grundy butcher shop, launched him out of his home kitchen in 2015 and into a shop in Grand Central Market, in Downtown LA, which is open Thursday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Hall developed every recipe for the bakery and is still actively involved in the day-to-day operations. He only recently hired a chef to help him develop the menu for the Clark Street Coffe Shop on Sunset (formerly the 101 Cafe), which he opened last fall. He said he is passionate about serving the best food, using the best ingredients, and preferring to use products sustainably grown in California. For now, he said, his plan is to expand a bit more, maybe to ten locations. But scale doesn’t interest Hall. He said he prefers to retain control of his company, though he does welcome investors.
Hall told us that Larchmont is a special place for him, because he’s always wanted to open on a walkable street with small shops, reminiscent of what you’d see in European cities. When he learned there was a space on Larchmont that already had a kitchen, he jumped on it. For Hall, Larchmont is a chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a neighborhood bakery, hence the reason for the window full of baked goods.
Larchmont’s Clark Street will be open for breakfast and lunch, hopefully by the middle of next month.
