Get ready for artisanal toast - the San Francisco phenomenon is surely on the way

Cut it thick and toast out the whiteness. San Francisco's new cafe eating phenomenon. Some call it the ultimate comfort food. For others its “$4 Toast: Why the Tech Industry Is Ruining San Francisco”. The phenomenon is spreading south and eastwards. Surely that bastion of all culinary things trendy, Melbourne, will soon enable us to judge for ourselves.
To adequately prepare for what is to come, discover the origins at Pacific Standard of this eating craze; the story of how Giulietta Carrelli, a blue-eyed, 34-year-old woman with freckles tattooed on her cheeks, who suffers from schizoaffective disorder, a condition that combines symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolarity, launched her coffee shop called Trouble. Whatever you think of toast it is a wonderful foodie's story.

As US National Public Radio reported this week, "leave it to San Francisco to turn one of the simplest — and cheapest — dishes into the trendy snack du jour."

We're talking about toast.
"Artisanal" toast is made from inch-thick, snow-white or grainy slices, lathered in butter and cinnamon or peanut butter and honey, then wrapped individually in wax paper.
And you think that latte is expensive. Each one of these slices will set you back at least $3.50.
The toast craze started at an unlikely location: a modest coffee shop, called Trouble, about four blocks from San Francisco's sleepy Ocean Beach.
There, Giulietta Carrelli started selling the thick slices seven years ago. Now the "$4 toast," as the critics label it, is a featured item in bakeries, cafes and restaurants in San Francisco and beyond. Some even have a toast menu that changes daily.
Aficionados say it's the truest comfort food. And made well, toast will bring out the ultimate crumbiness and caramel notes of bread.