History

George Leidenheimer came to New Orleans from Deidesheim, Germany, and founded the bakery that bears his name in 1896. The bakery was located on Dryades Street, but in 1904 it moved to the handsome brick building on Simon Bolivar Avenue where Leidenheimer's descendants still operate the family business.

Originally Leidenheimer baked the heavy, dense brown breads of his native Germany but it was by producing New Orleans French bread, with its crisp crust, that Leidenheimer found fame. Leidenheimer bread is still unique because over a century later it continues to be made using the same time-honored process. In a city like New Orleans, where eating is almost a religion, producing the perfect French bread is a sacred mission to the employees of Leidenheimer Baking Company.