On the countryside of Normandy sits a bakery full of French delicacies — not far from a city spared in World War II. A place where the sacrifice for freedom isn’t forgotten.

More than 4,500 miles away — at Ozark Natural Breads in Fayetteville — that French influence flourishes.

These are the ingredients to a story so bittersweet, as we take you on a journey beyond the bread-maker.

Bryan Brandon Jr., owner of Ozark Natural Breads, grew up in his family’s bakery in Madison County. His parents opened the business in 1987, and Bryan Jr. was raised in the rhythm of flour and fire. After earning a baking science degree from Kansas State University, he pursued artisan training in Normandy — thanks to a connection his father made with a French historian.

That historian had reached out to Bryan

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