Proof Bread, the Phoenix-based sourdough bakery and stone flour mill, opens a Tucson pop-up this Friday, Oct. 9, at the two locations formerly occupied by Cafe Francais. Both spots run 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and carry sourdough bread and pastries baked in Phoenix. The addresses are 7831 E. Wrightstown Road, Suite 113, on the east side, and 3855 E. Broadway Blvd. in midtown. The pop-up runs through the end of October. If it works, Proof said it will stay.
Tucson Foodie covered Cafe Francais’s closure last fall after owners Noelle and Daniel Martinez announced they were shutting down after seven years, ending a run that included the original Wrightstown Road location and a second Broadway shop that opened in summer 2025. When the couple posted on Instagram asking whether another bakery might take over their spaces, friends of Proof Bread sent them the post. The two parties connected, talked, and decided to try the pop-up.
How Proof got here
Jared Allen founded Proof Bread in 2014. He was a baker at St. Francis and at American Way Market before operating Proof out of his home. Jonathan Przybyl and Amanda Abou-Eid discovered Proof at the Gilbert Farmers Market in 2016 and became loyal weekly customers. When Allen decided to sell and move out of state in 2017, the couple knew they had to buy it.
Przybyl and Abou-Eid took over the business with the help of Jon’s parents and new aspiring bakers, transforming the garage operation from a makeshift micro-bakery into a 1,800-square-foot cottage powerhouse. In 2020, Proof launched a YouTube channel that now has more than 200,000 subscribers and has inspired more than 500 new micro-bakeries to form around the world. The couple opened their first brick-and-mortar space in downtown Mesa in 2021, followed by locations in North Phoenix and Litchfield Park.
From bakery to mill
In 2023, Proof became the third stone flour mill in Arizona, milling a large percentage of its own flour from heritage grains, some grown locally in Queen Creek in partnership with local farms. That shift changed what the word “local” meant to the operation. Today, Arizona farmers grow grain for Proof, the team mills it between stones in North Phoenix, and that flour becomes naturally fermented bread. The mill runs at more capacity than the bakery currently uses, and the bakery bakes more than its current footprint demands. Proof built both with room to grow, and the Tucson pop-up is one way to grow into them.
The Instagram post Proof published Tuesday framed the decision plainly: “Local grain systems only work if mills actually mill.” The Tucson pop-up also fits into a longer ambition. Proof has stated a goal of becoming employee-owned within the next five to ten years, and expanding into Tucson represents another step toward the scale that makes that possible.
What to expect Friday
Proof brings sourdough bread and pastries from its Phoenix operation. Staples include naturally leavened country loaves, chocolate croissants with 81 layers of laminated dough, morning buns, and ciabatta. The Broadway location runs as a grab-and-go stop; the Wrightstown location offers more space. Both open at 7 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 9. Hours run 7 a.m.-2 p.m. throughout October at both locations. Proof will also be watching what the community wants, learning who shows up, and deciding whether Tucson becomes a permanent part of the operation. For more on Proof Bread’s background and current Phoenix locations, visit proofbread.com.
