Leos Boulangerie

Leos Boulangerie is sitting at Colaba 7. It’s an old part of the city, and the building we are in has some character, even if the pipes groan sometimes. We are in here long before the sun comes up. The smell of the ovens is the first thing you notice when you walk in. It’s a lot of flour on our aprons and dough under our fingernails. The work is physical. We move heavy bags of grain and large trays of bread all morning. The counter is made of wood and it’s smoothed down from years of people leaning on it. We get the tourists and the locals who have lived in Colaba forever. Some people just want a plain loaf and others look for something crusty. We keep the windows clean so people can see what we have today. The floor is old stone and it’s hard on the feet after eight hours. We have a small sink in the back that leaks a tiny bit. It’s just how things are here. We don't have a big sign, just the name on the glass. We spend the afternoons cleaning up the crumbs and getting ready for the next day. It’s a lot of repetitive movement, but it’s what we do. The heat from the back makes the front feel nice during the rainy season.