arrow left envelope headphones search facebook instagram twitter flickr menu rss play circle itunes
Support
the SFA
Support the SFA

Oral Histories

The SFA oral history program documents life stories from the American South. Collecting these stories, we honor the people whose labor defines the region.

ORAL HISTORY

Rob Segovia-Welsh

Chicken Bridge Bakery

After working in bakeries in Wisconsin and North Carolina for several years, Monica and Rob Segovia-Welsh built a wood-fired oven at their home in rural North Carolina in 2006 and begin crafting hearth-baked bread incorporating as many locally-milled grains and locally-grown ingredients as possible.

Monica and Rob produce a variety of different breads, baking 350 to 400 loaves a week in their wood-fired oven. These days, their sons Simon and Milo work alongside stacking wood or folding dough. The family sells their dark-crusted bread, often hand-stenciled with politically-inspired messages, at the Carrboro Farmers’ Market.

Date of interview:
2018-06-06

Interviewer:
Kate Medley

Photographer:
Kate Medley

Download Transcript

“

"So when we first started, the whole idea of North Carolina grains was kind of laughed at because North Carolina’s known for not having very good hard wheats, so it’s just like really good for soft wheats and you can make really nice pastries and biscuits and pancakes, but the idea of making, like, a quality loaf of bread, I think was kind of just like accepted that, well, you’re not going to get that from North Carolina. And today I think that’s like—I mean, I think it’s turned on its head." ~ Rob Segovia-Welsh

Other Project Interviews

Interview

Lionel Vatinet

Lionel Vatinet is a baker and co-founder of La Farm Bakery in Cary, North Carolina.

Interview

Jennifer Lapidus

Jennifer Lapidus is the founder and general manager of Carolina Ground in Asheville, North Carolina.

Interview

Graison Gill

Graison Gill is the founder of Bellegarde Bakery in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Interview

Glenn Roberts

Glenn Roberts is the founder of Anson Mills in Columbia, South Carolina.

Interview

Evrim Dogu

Evrim Dogu is the co-founder of Sub Rosa Bakery in Richmond, Virginia.

Interview

Caroline Lindley

Caroline Lindley is the Vice President of Marketing and the tenth generation at Lindley Mills.

Interview

Billy Carter

Billy Carter is the founder of Carter Farms in Eagle Springs, North Carolina.

WORKING TOGETHER

WE CAN CULTIVATE PROGRESS.

The Southern Foodways Alliance drives a more progressive future by leading conversations that challenge existing constructs, shape perspectives, and foster meaningful discussions. We reconsider the past with research, scrutiny, and documentation.

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY

Bill Smith Crooks Corner

Let’s Stay in Touch

Sign up for the SFA newsletter to have the latest content
delivered directly to your inbox.