Merry Christmas Eve… and Happy Anniversary to us!
Today is BAKESHOP’s 14th anniversary!
14 years ago in early spring, I signed the lease on a jewel box of a space on a busy street in NE Portland, enabling me to move the bakery from a tiny rental kitchen to an actual brick and mortar. A real dream came true that day. While the process was fraught with anxiety and worry of this new commitment, I also had a deep understanding and belief that this was the next right project, one that I had been laying the foundation for for many years.
With the lease signed and a design and construction team hired, Bakeshop was set to open in early summer. Ha. The first of many obstacles would present itself. This one pushed the open date to the end of the year. It was kismet, really, as a baby was due to arrive early summer. Arrive they did and were quickly folded into bakery life as middle of the night feedings coincided with middle of the night bake times and off we went to the bakery, out on deliveries and later to shop and prep for the next day.
As construction was finalized and equipment filled the space, I saw a quick window to move kitchens that would allow us to swing open our door and join the neighborhood on Christmas eve. The night before we quickly packed up the kitchen, shuttling bins of flour, tubs of muffin batter and trays of shaped scones into the new space. I remember it being so loud and cavernous, the whoosh of the oven reverberating off the walls. We didn't even have our wood tables, a luxury that I coveted, that to me, along with the Carrera marble counter, said bakery. Regardless, we had the stainless ones, our giant revolving oven, water and electricity and that allowed us to do our bake.
This time of year can be filled with so much busyness, some years, I haven’t even felt like taking a moment to reflect and celebrate all that has been endured to be here. But this year, let’s celebrate, we’ve worked hard to be here.
Today that baby, now 14, will stand at the door handing out pre orders, along with my two older kids and numerous bakery staff working diligently to make today special.
Thank you to customers and bakers, present and past, for their support and hard work to carry on this warm, butter scented space that exists for all of us.
Best wishes, today and always.
Love,
Kim
And now, the details.
Today, we are open 10am-2pm, closed tomorrow, the 25th.
In addition to a bakery counter rich with pastry, we have a few items available on a first come, first serve basis. This includes:
3 apple streusel pies
1 double crust apple pie
2 pecan pies
2 caramelized onion quiche
2 ham & cheese quiche
2 burnt Basque cheesecake