In a world where food trends come and go faster than sourdough starters on TikTok, one Brooklyn-based chef is going back — way back — to the roots of breadmaking. Meet Chef Daniel Aramian, owner and head baker at Stone & Crumb, a small artisan bakery in Williamsburg that’s turning heads (and filling bellies) with old-school loaves inspired by his Armenian grandmother.
We sat down with Daniel to talk heritage, flour, and what it means to bake with memory instead of measurements.
🥖 Q: Let’s start simple — why bread?
Chef Daniel:
Bread was always in our house growing up. Not just something on the table — it was the thing. My grandmother would bake every weekend, and you could smell the yeast before you even walked through the door. I didn’t realize it then, but those loaves were storytelling. They had soul. I think bread still does.
🧓 Q: You say your recipes come from your grandmother — how did that come about?
Chef Daniel:
When she passed, we found her notebooks. They were full of smudged pages, flour fingerprints, little drawings of braiding patterns, and notes like “add more love if sad” — no joke.
I started testing those recipes during culinary school, and I couldn’t believe how alive they were. They weren’t just instructions, they were experiences. So I made it my mission to recreate them as closely as I could, without changing a thing.
🍞 Q: What makes her recipes stand out from modern baking?
Chef Daniel:
Patience. Everything takes longer — longer fermentations, natural leavening, no shortcuts. Her sourdough rises for 36 hours. The lavash is rolled by hand and cooked over open flame when we can. It’s messy. But it’s magic.
And she always used ingredients she either grew herself or got from the market that day. That mindset completely changed the way I source things today.
🔥 Q: What’s the most popular item at Stone & Crumb?
Chef Daniel:
Our “Grandma’s Rye” is kind of famous now. It’s dense, earthy, with a subtle sweetness from blackstrap molasses — exactly like hers. We also do a braided honey-walnut loaf for holidays that people pre-order months in advance.
But my personal favorite is a cracked wheat bread with roasted garlic. It’s rustic, imperfect, and smells like home.
💬 Q: Any advice for home bakers who want to reconnect with tradition?
Chef Daniel:
Yes: stop chasing perfection. Your dough doesn’t have to look like a magazine cover. What matters is intention — baking with care, with time, and with curiosity. Also: call your grandmother if she’s still around. Ask her how she used to bake. Record it. Treasure it.
Bread has a memory, and you get to carry it forward.
Final Crumb
In a bakery filled with the scent of caraway, honey, and toasted flour, Chef Daniel isn’t just making bread — he’s making history edible.
And as he often reminds customers: “If it’s good enough for Grandma, it’s good enough for you.”