Evan Andres’ bread epiphany came on a trip to Chile. He’s been baking ever since. After stints in Seattle as head baker at Macrina Bakery and then Dahlia Restaurant and Bakery, Andres put his baking ambitions on hold when he and his wife, Julie Andres, bought La Medusa Restaurant in Columbia City, a striving neighborhood south of downtown. Two years later, Andres achieved his long-cherished goal of opening a bakery, just steps away from La Medusa. Inside the cheery, red storefront you’ll find a handful of tables and an L-shaped bakery case, beyond which you can glimpse the busy bakers. They make an array of fine pastries, including croissants, cookies and cakes, but the bakery is best known for the rustic breads that turn up in so many of Seattle’s best restaurants. The rich flavor, moist, airy crumb, and crusts that splinter under the knife, result from a natural, slow fermentation process. Wholesale demand is so high for his bread that Andres established a waiting list, to keep production small and preserve quality. “The style of bread we bake is best made in small batches by bakers who have the passion to do it consistently.” Andres says. To that end, he also began a “Community Supported Bakery” program inspired by community-supported agriculture. Subscribers receive a box of baked goods weekly, either their choice or the bakery’s. The CSB helps fill the inevitable midweek slack periods, plus, says Andres, “nothing feels better than knowing your products are going to somebody who’s really waiting for it.” He wants to stay small, but he also wants to compensate his bakers at a rate that makes baking a viable career. His aim: to train good bakers so they can go forth and multiply. If corner bakeries flourish, he reasons, more people will get to taste the difference between mass-produced and handmade.
