Courtesy Fhima's Minneapolis/Instagram
It’s about time. David Fhima makes some of the best bread I’ve ever had in my life, and only having it at his downtown Minneapolis restaurant always felt like a major omission in our food scene. Now, David and son Eli are opening Mother Dough—a two-phase operation in the heart of downtown.
First phase: Sometime in October, expect the opening of Mother Dough Wine, Espresso, and Beer on the first floor of Capella Tower. They’ll have wine, beer, and tapas with small plates, along with Folly Coffee and the Mother Dough bread in the space that was run by Peace Coffee pre-pandemic.
Second phase: In late fall/early winter, Mother Dough Bakery, Bites, and Brew will open on the skyway level of Capella Tower. This will be more “Parisian boulangerie,” with nicoise salad, cafe au lait, pain aux chocolat, and a full French bakery experience overlooking Second Avenue and Sixth Street.
David Fhima has told the story of his sourdough starter many times—including to me for a WCCO story in 2016. He brought the mother dough of his childhood in Morocco with him to the U.S., and he’s been feeding that dough through every restaurant he’s opened over the years. It is truly a fantastic mother dough, and his breads are special. I can’t wait to see life coming back downtown, and nothing symbolizes people coming together more than literally breaking bread.
