Wedding season might be over, but you won’t find the team at Ravishing Radish Catering resting on their laurels.“We stay busy in the fall getting ready for holiday events, auctions and some weddings,” says Lisbet Larsen Mielke, founder of the down-to-earth catering company.Lisbet caught the entertaining bug early in life, growing up with parents who loved to throw a good backyard bash. After graduating from culinary school, she set her sights on opening a business that combined her favorite things: amazing food and legendary parties.“I’ve always worked in restaurants and kitchens and enjoyed it. I love troubleshooting on the fly and seeing everything come together." And ultimately, she adds, she loves seeing people happy.She launched Ravishing Radish in 1993, the same year that we opened our first little bakery in Belltown. In fact, Lisbet says, we were just down the street from her. She and her staff frequented our café for breakfast and lunch, and it wasn’t long before she tapped Leslie Mackie to make cakes for catered wedding receptions.“We loved the food and bread at Macrina so much, we knew we wanted to use Macrina products on the menu,” says Lisbet, who enlisted JoAnna Cruz, a former Macrina employee, as her "chef extraordinaire."Our handmade breads paired with mouthwatering delights like rosemary butter or sour cherry compote and goat cheese weave through Ravishing Radish’s fall dinner menu. Sourcing ingredients from local businesses is a cornerstone of the company. Depending on the season, you’ll find Carlton Farms pork, Foraged & Found mushrooms, fresh catches from Wild Salmon Seafood Market, even choice edibles from the company’s 2,000-square-foot rooftop garden.As if overseeing the fine details of lavish events weren’t enough, Lisbet has since opened Ravish, a bar and bistro that upholds the same steadfast commitment to community and sustainability.

Pumpkins abound this time of year! Carved or whole, they are everyone’s favorite decorative squash. We like to use them for more than just adorning the doorstep. Each year as we’re carving up our jack-o'-lanterns, we set aside the seeds for toasting.Loaded with zinc, iron, magnesium and heart-healthy fat, pumpkin seeds are a nutritional powerhouse. Add them to salads for a hearty crunch, toss into granola or trail mix, and use them to dress up homemade breads and pastries.Tips for Perfectly Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

• Rinse seeds well to remove any pumpkin pulp and pat dry with a paper towel before toasting.
• Toss with a small amount of oil and a pinch of your favorite spices. For savory pumpkin seeds, try kosher salt, cumin and coriander, or Leslie's favorite, kosher salt and ground chipotle chile pepper. For sweeter seeds, try cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg or ginger.
• Spread seeds in an even layer on a heavy-duty baking sheet.
• Preheat oven and bake at 300°F on the center rack until they are golden and fragrant, shaking and rotating the pan a few times throughout the baking process for even coloring.
• Seeds can take up to 10 minutes to toast, but check them often and use your nose to alert you when they’re getting close.
• An alternative to baking is toasting seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan and tossing the seeds often to keep them from burning.
• If you don't eat them right away, store pumpkin seeds in an airtight container.

What do Po Dog, Matt’s in the Market, and Stumptown Coffee Roasters have in common? These local favorites – in addition to hundreds more – use our breads and pastries to complement their own delicious menu items.“We have over 480 wholesale customers, and it’s growing every month,” says our Wholesale Sales Manager Rebecca Early. “The secret of success is growing with your demand, and we’re doing an amazing job meeting that.”Rebecca came to Macrina nine years ago when we were comprised of just two cafés, one in Belltown and the other in Queen Anne. At the time, Rebecca was working toward a degree that would place her in the world of radio and television, unaware that the future had something else in store.“My sister lives down the street from our McGraw location with her three boys, and I would go over and nanny and walk the baby by Macrina every day. I had to get a part-time job to afford my quiche and latte every day.”It wasn't long before that part-time barista job at McGraw flourished into a manager position, with Rebecca overseeing both cafés and 35 employees. Years later, as we looked for opportunities to partner with other local companies, Rebecca's love for our customers and products made her a natural choice to head up our wholesale department.“We make close to 500 different products for wholesale, our wholesale customer service is parallel to no other, bar none, and our offerings make us a one-stop shop,” she says with a huge smile. “You can’t get the quality of pastries and the variety of bread anywhere else in the city.”With her natural charm and finesse, Rebecca keeps our current wholesale partners wholly satisfied and welcomes new businesses with open arms.“It really helps that this is such a great product and people really love Macrina. I couldn’t be more proud of who I’m representing. I feel like it’s what I was supposed to be doing all along.”

Our chilly autumn days easily lend themselves to holing up indoors. To keep from going stir crazy, we turn to baking – naturally. There is nothing more comforting than biting into a warm, freshly baked cookie. Between rainy weekends, school bake sales, and those swiftly-approaching holidays, we thought you might enjoy our best cookie baking tips.Tip #1  Most cookie recipes call for room temperature butter, but in the excitement of diving into a recipe it's easy to forget to take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time. For those moments, simply slice the butter into smaller pieces, layer evenly on a plate, and leave it on the counter until it gives with the press of a finger – about half an hour.Tip #2  The best cookie sheets are the heavy-gauge, stainless steel variety. Dark-colored cookie sheets may cause your cookies to over-brown on the bottom.Tip #3  Baking cookies one sheet at a time is generally recommend for thorough cooking, but that's also time intensive. If you're baking more than one sheet at a time, rotate them from front to back and top to bottom halfway through the cooking time.Tip #4  Cold dough is best for making sugar cookie cut outs. If your dough warmed up with handling, cover it in plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge until it's well-chilled - about two hours. Once you're ready to work with it, keep any unused portion refrigerated until it's needed. On that note, cookie dough should be slightly cool before it goes into the oven, since warm cookie dough spreads excessively as it bakes.Tip #5  We like using a small, spring-loaded ice cream scoop to portion out cookie dough. This keeps the cookies a nice, uniform size and helps them bake evenly.Tip #6  Avoid cooling your cookies directly on the cookie sheet, as this causes them to overcook. Instead, gently place them on a cooling rack once you've pulled them from the oven.Now that you're ready to bake up the perfect batch, pick up More from Macrina for Leslie's favorite cookie recipes!

As daylight hours start to dwindle and the air turns crisp, we're sipping from our coffee mugs more often. We proudly pull Caffè Umbria espresso and brew their coffee in our cafés daily. The variety of blends coming out of this renowned Pioneer Square roastery provide a nice balance to our food, be it breakfast, afternoon treat, or dessert. Here are some of our favorite fall pairing:Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cranberry Compote + AmericanoThis silky cheesecake with its ginger molasses cookie crust is subtly balanced but not overwhelmed by freshly-pulled espresso with hot water.Pecan Streusel Pumpkin Bar + Espresso MacchiatoA unique blend of butternut squash and pumpkin finished with crunchy pecan streusel, this bar is a fresh take on the season's best flavors. Enjoy it with rich espresso topped with a dollop of creamy foam for the ultimate afternoon snack.Mini Maple Apple Pies + Vanilla LatteThis petite version of an autumnal classic combines tart Granny Smith apples and maple sugar. Pair it with our Vanilla Latte made with smooth espresso and our very own Vanilla Sugar blend.

If you’ve ever strolled through the University Village, you’ve probably seen Kirsten McElfresh’s work. Since 2009, Kirsten has decked out dress forms and display windows for the bustling center’s Anthroplogie location. A departure from her day-to-day work, Kirsten chooses a different creative outlet in her free time: Painting. Currently on display in our SODO café, Kirsten's work highlights nature's organic beauty.Take us through your creative process.My latest work has been paintings and drawings of plants that have inspired me from my ventures in gardening and foraging. I like to play with the paint color in my backgrounds and will often paint multiple layers and even sand it down again and again before it feels right.Was there a moment when you knew you wanted to be an artist?Art has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I used to draw still lifes of my stuffed animals when I was a kid, and I loved doing crafts with my grandmother. It was never a decision I had to make; it's just who I am.Where do you find inspiration?I spend a lot of my free time working in my garden. Otherwise I am out hiking the woods with my husband and dog, foraging for mushrooms or other choice edibles. I find inspiration in the unique individuality and subtle flaws of each plant, and I try to highlight that in my work.If you could enjoy a meal with three artists, who would you choose?In college I had three friends [who] majored in studio art with me. We were the ones that would stick around the art building all hours of the night just making work and debating about art. We were art nerds. I would definitely want to have a meal with them; having a community to discuss and debate art really helps you grow and improve.How did you decide to show your work at Macrina? I feel that the subject matter of my art works well with a restaurant. It's so nice that art is not restricted to galleries alone and that many businesses help the arts. By showing in alternative spaces, we are exposing people to artwork that would otherwise not have seen it.Look for Kirsten’s pieces in our SODO café through the end of September and then at our Belltown café for the month of October.

We wholeheartedly embrace cultural diversity here at Macrina. Not only is this core value evident in the food we create, it's exemplified by our employees. A large portion of our wholesale bakery and pastry teams began working for us shortly after moving to America from Vietnam.Wanting to support our employees as they transitioned into their new lives, we teamed up with Helping Link. This nonprofit organization assists Vietnamese immigrants through a myriad of social services.“We began working with Helping Link in 2009,” says Macrina Bakery co-owner Scott France. “We were looking for a way to provide ESL classes at the bakery for our Vietnamese employees, and Helping Link was able to come to the bakery to teach classes after work.”In 2012 alone, the organization helped more than 1,000 participants access things likes employment, housing and childcare, and they provided classes ranging from citizenship to technology.We are honored to be a sponsor of Helping Link’s 20^th Anniversary Gala, which takes place on September 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Mercer Island Community Center. Those wishing to purchase tickets to the Gala or provide a donation can do so here.

We get really excited about brioche around here. Whenever Leslie is working on a new brioche product, she's never short of taste-testers. (We live for these taste-testing moments!) This velvety dough flawlessly hugs the line between sweet and savory. It plays well with pretty much everything.With that in mind, we decided to swap our Spinach & Cheese Dumpling with a new menu item: the Spinach & Cheese Bun. Light, buttery brioche wraps around a divine mixture of fresh, sautéed spinach, fromage blanc, goat cheese and Parmesan.It’s the perfect size for an on-the-go breakfast or lunch. For those looking for a heartier meal, it can easily be paired with our Organic Greens Salad, meze side salad, or cup of soup. Look for it in our pastry case!

Life has a way of giving us subtle hints when we’re on the right path. That’s exactly how McGraw Café Lead Michael Beblowsksi found his way into our family five years ago.A native New Yorker, Michael moved to Seattle the same way many are lured here: good music and great coffee. With a stack of resumes highlighting his food service career, Michael canvassed the streets around Pike Place Market and Belltown in search of a café to plant roots. That’s when our sign at the corner of Wall Street and First Avenue caught his eye.“Everything happened swiftly when I entered Macrina Belltown,” remembers Michael. “After having an informal conversation with the [former] manager Krishna Chancey, who now tends bar at Brouwer’s in Fremont, I decided that I only wanted to work at Macrina.”As café lead, Michael wears many hats. A typical day includes delegating responsibilities to the McGraw team, assisting customers with everything from food selections to allergen questions, and placing vendor orders. And, while customers fuel their day with his perfectly crafted Americanos and lattes, he thrives on his interactions with them and his team.“While working at Macrina I have been fortunate to meet fascinating, creative and inspiring people on both sides of the counter. Our founder, Leslie Mackie, is a Seattle industry icon who continues to stimulate our palettes while doing something that she is passionate about.”That energy pervades all facets of the company and draws people in, he says. Amazed at how quickly the last five years have gone by, Michael is thankful to have spent them in good company.

Leslie Mackie first opened the Belltown café in 1993 with a 10-year vision for her bakery. With a tremendous amount of ambition, dedication and community support, Leslie's dream quickly blossomed into reality."The first 10 [years] were extremely busy (lucky us!) and hectic, as we were always challenging ourselves to do our best and tweak to improve our systems," she says.This week we're celebrating 20 years of connecting with the community through food by introducing our Raisin Pumpernickel Loaf.

“The Raisin Pumpernickel is a bread that I have wanted to do for a long time,” says Leslie. “I've wanted to use a local wheat and believe in the additional nutritional qualities of whole-milled flour.”Featuring Williams Brothers Hard Red Winter whole grain flour, coarse rye flour, cornmeal, raisins, and pumpkin seeds, this bread is the perfect balance of sweet and earthy. Leslie incorporates some Macrina Casera starter in the recipe to connect it to the heart of our bakery.Because of its starter, caramelized crust and dense crumb, our Raisin Pumpernickel has an exceptional shelf life of four days. Leslie recommends serving it thinly sliced with a bit of unsalted butter, mild triple-crème cheese or soft Brie.Easily enjoyed year-around, we're making this bread a menu staple. Find it at any of our cafés and take some of the celebration home with you."It has been a wonderful anniversary week," adds Leslie. "I am very proud of all the staff and management team that keep this dream alive!"

Mi Kim found her path early on. Growing up baking treats for her friends and helping out in her parents' restaurant, Mi has always felt most comfortable in the kitchen. Now she helps manage ours as head pastry chef. Today Mi gives us a glimpse into her journey over the last five years and shares her best advice for aspiring pastry chefs.When did you know you wanted to work with pastry?In school my best friend and I used to always bake, and my parents owned a restaurant, so I was always in the kitchen. Junior year of high school, I realized that I couldn't sit in a classroom and I loved food, so I figured why not try baking. So, I went to school at Western Culinary Institute [now Le Cordon Bleu School for Culinary Arts]. My mentor met Leslie [Mackie] and she told her about me and I got hired on as an intern.How did you work your way up to head pastry chef?I was the [pastry] lead at McGraw for a while and then [Production Manager] Jane [Cho] started doing wedding cakes at SODO. Jane was working constantly, like 16-hour days, so when I’d have time at McGraw I would call her to see if she needed help. At first, I helped her out with sheet cakes and then started taking on more and more until we decided it was time for me to take over. It was a good way to learn, because it wasn’t overwhelming and I got to build my skills slowly.I like learning and getting to a certain point where I’m comfortable and then taking it on on my own. That’s something that keeps me going. Getting into the pastry chef position and taking on wedding cakes full on were big accomplishments for me.What do you love most about being a pastry chef?I’ve always really enjoyed making specialty cakes, more so even than wedding cakes. Say someone comes in with a picture or an idea of something I’ve never done before, I love jumping in and seeing how it turns out. I just love that creative aspect.I still love making croissant dough and doing the turns by hand. I like the feel of the dough and the smell of yeast. I really like brioche products too. Forming the Ham & Cheese Brioche is still so satisfying.What’s your favorite thing to eat at Macrina?I love upside down cakes for their sugary, caramelized flavor. I really like the Morning Glory Muffin, because it has the [turbinado sugar] on top. It’s so good. The Rick’s [Chocolate Apricot Espresso] Cookie is one of my favorites. I’d never thought of putting apricots in things, but it’s so good.What advice would you give to an aspiring pastry chef?Flexibility is something I hold highly in people. It branches into so many things. I think to be successful you need flexibility to handle certain situations. Problem-solving skills and good attitudes are also things I look for when I’m hiring people. Having schooling is one thing, but if you have that drive and attitude and you don’t have schooling, I almost value that more. We’re so big on morale here and everyone having a great attitude and wanting to be here. That’s what leads to success. You have to love something in order to get good at it, no matter where you start.

“This is basically a Carlton Farms/Macrina/Swinery-cooked sandwich,” James Dillon grins as he hands over a plate of Carolina-style pulled pork and tangy slaw hugging the edges of its buttery bun.James fell into ownership of The Swinery when its founder Gabriel Claycamp left abruptly in 2010. At the time, James was running a successful construction company while investing in the sustainable butcher shop. Despite The Swinery’s rocky start, business has been booming since the change in ownership.“It’s been a tremendous uphill learning experience for me,” James explains of life in the food business. “I’m in a whole other universe. Fortunately for me, the product was always really good. All we had to do was basically understand what the costs were to run it and how to train a proper crew.”According to James, the current crew is really into what they're creating, which is evident upon entering The Swinery. Customers are greeted by silver steel pig and a jar of bacon-spiked caramels. A butcher case displaying a parade of locally-sourced meat leads to a blackboard menu of meaty sandwiches, all served on our toasted Brioche. At the back of the shop rests a fridge stocked with tubs of bacon chocolate chip cookie dough and farm-fresh eggs.James and The Swinery team take pride in their sustainable meat business, roasting whole Carlton Farms pigs, shelling out Mad Hatcher eggs by the dozen, and teaming up with Painted Hills Natural Beef for their prized pig – or, shall we say cash cow – the Swinery Burger. And, lest you forget the name of the place, these guys will gladly top any of their sandwiches with bacon or pork belly, naturally.“The pig represents probably one of the greatest things the animal world gave us, because you can eat the whole thing. You can eat it nose to tail, and I’ve eaten it nose to tail.”Don’t believe him? Order the Swinery Spectacularrr, a towering feast that puts James’ theory and the crew’s skill to the test.With meat-centric diets trending and more people interested in where their food comes from, The Swinery has carved out a nice piece of the market. Their courtyard, also known as the Inner Sanctum of the Temple of Porcine Love, sees a rotating ensemble of meat enthusiasts, from the regulars who can't resist the Spectaclularrr’s siren song to the Paleo crowd who just wants 10 pieces of crispy, smoked pork belly.Bring a healthy appetite, your stretchiest pants, and some time to take it all in.“You gotta be careful,” James says, eying our empty plates. “I’m going to put up a sign that says, ‘The Home of Slow Eating.’”

Although, Mickey Williams has always fancied himself an artist, it wasn’t until he started taking portraits that he knew he had found his medium. Mickey has since fine-tuned his craft into something much more than photography. His work is where graphics and fine art meet, creating an intriguing blend.“It sounds cliché, but I see things everywhere,” Mickey explains of his inspiration. “The ideas will come to me at times while I am talking to somebody and they are expressing their own style or mannerisms. Sometimes it's just that I came across a prop that I am drawn too and then I start thinking about the people that could work with it.”From there, he sets up the scene, stockpiling props to build his vision along the way. Once he has the shot, he pulls the image apart and laces it back together, adding layers of lacquer – sometimes even objects – bringing the image to life.Mickey’s cryptic portraits and spellbinding, documentary-style photographs display eerily intimate moments. Adorned subjects stare out from their frames as if held there in captivity. Sometimes he uses professional models, but for the most part, Mickey prefers photographing “everyday people.”

Well, there are a handful of characters he would love to place into one of his illuminated worlds: Isabella Rossellini for her amazing beauty, Mick Jagger’s early years, and Frida Kahlo, an inspiration. Mickey wistfully talks about the pull to photograph his children and the heartbreak of seeing time pass so quickly by doing so; a feeling that conceivably gets funneled into his work.After a hiatus from the camera, Mickey is getting back into photography again. Upon a suggestion of a friend, he is showing his work in our SODO café this month. And he is already dreaming up his next show.“I am working on having a solo show that would be hung out in the woods in a Seattle park in late September. It would have all the typical aspects of a gallery show, with music and food, but be out under the stars. Could be amazing or a travesty, but that's half the excitement.”

Every week about 15,000 pounds of Russet Norkotah potatoes arrive on our doorstep. From there, they are mashed (peels and all), mixed with unbleached flour, yeast, extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt, and then crafted into one of our biggest selling breads: Rustic Potato.These spuds get their start as seedlings under the watchful care of Mattawa's Wahluke Produce, nestled in the arid Columbia basin. Wahluke Produce is owned by the Christensen family, who has farmed the area for three generations. Even though it is a fairly new potato variety, the easily adaptable Russet Norkotah is a staple on this farm. Light in texture and full of flavor, they are a baker’s dream for whipping up perfect potato bread.Eventually these potatoes find themselves on your table in the form of a sliced loaf, lightly toasted, and slathered with sweet preserves; a basket of warm, soft rolls, passed among family; or perched on a party tray as petite sliders sandwiching your favorite fixings.Here are Macrina, we believe that good things are even better when they are shared. And, our potato bread is a perfect example of the communal bond from farm to table.

Overseeing all of our locations might sound daunting, but our illustrious general manager of cafés, Crystal Kitchin, starts each day with a smile - and maybe one of our pastries too! Her indelible spirit and drive are palpable, which undoubtably motivates our team members and keeps our customers coming back for more. Having recently celebrated her anniversary with Macrina Bakery, we caught up with Crystal to chat about her time in this essential role, what it means to work for Macrina, and how she unwinds from it all.As Macrina Bakery's general manager of cafés, there’s never a dull moment, I’m sure. What does a typical day look like for you?I would have to say that this is very true. There is never a dull moment, but my days are never typical - unless you expect the unexpected on a regular basis. I usually start my day around 6:00 a.m. and it doesn’t slow down. But, seeing the sun rise never gets old. I work closely with all the café managers and crew on a daily basis. You can find me in the cafés helping customers pick out a pastry or making a latte any day of the week.What do you love most about your job?I love working closely with all the cafés' employees and getting to know the regulars at each location. The best part of my day is seeing the regulars and knowing we are a big part of their morning rituals that can’t be missed.What are some of the highlights of your time with Macrina?

• Working closely with Leslie Mackie has been an honor. She is an inspiration.
• The holidays are crazy but a lot of fun. We get to send our customers home with the best bread and holiday treats to enjoy with their families.
• Last year I had a chance to make dinner and feed the homeless with Macrina at St. James Cathedral. This has left quite an impression on me, and I would like to do more to help our community.
• Promoting crew members from within and helping train them for successful roles at Macrina Bakery.
• [Assisting in] renovations at our Belltown and McGraw locations to help them be more efficient and create more space for our customers.

What is your favorite thing about Macrina Bakery?I love working for Macrina and what it stands for in terms of quality, customer service, and care for our employees. We continue to grow but maintain the personal connection with our customers.My favorite bread is the Olivetta - it pairs well with just about anything or is great by itself. The ingredients and products are made with so much love and soul that it's so hard to pass up trying something new and delicious everyday. I would also say the employees that make up Macrina are filled with the same ingredients, which makes it a pleasure to go to work everyday.What do you enjoy doing in your free time?I enjoy spending time with my husband and our husky. I also enjoy kayaking, swimming, and anything that has to do with being outside in the summer. Cooking is also one of my passions. I enjoy playing around with different recipes to make them healthier.

We had such a great time at our annual Feast of St. Macrina event! Each year our family gathers in honor of the bakery's namesake to bond over our shared love of great food and community. While St. Macrina the Younger's actual feast day is today, we spent Tuesday evening unwinding over dinner and games.After closing the cafés a little early, Owner Leslie Mackie, Savory Chef Elizabeth Hall, and Production Manager Jane Cho prepared an incredible meal for the entire group.A Macrina family dinner wouldn't be complete without an amazing dessert. Summer Shortcake featuring our Shortcake Biscuit, fresh berries, and vanilla ice cream was the grand finale. You can find the recipe for this perfect summer treat attached to bags of our Shortcake Biscuits.After dinner we split into teams for a rollicking relay race that included a beanbag toss, cupcake eating contest, and cake writing competition. The rain moved in at one point, but that didn't stop us from having fun.

There's nothing like some friendly competition to bring our family closer. We really couldn't ask for a better group of people to spend the day with. Thank you, Seattle, for giving us the afternoon off!Look for more photos from our 2013 Feast of Macrina event on our Facebook page.

Living gluten-free should never mean missing out on delicious baked goods, settling for a less than stellar product, or paying more for your treat.We tested recipes around the clock to improve and expand our gluten-free pastry offerings, and in the process found that we didn't have to sacrifice flavor or texture when making baked goods without gluten.The magic is in our flour. Owner Leslie Mackie worked diligently to create this special flour, which combines brown rice and sorghum flours instead of garbanzo bean flour often found in commercial gluten-free flours. We use this signature flour in all of our *gluten-free offerings, and even those of us who can tolerate gluten enjoy these treats."The highest compliment we are getting is that they don't taste like gluten-free items," adds Leslie. "Many like the Fresh Fruit Muffins even better than the all-purpose flour original!"Anyone who’s tasted our Ganache Cupcake, Gluten-Free Biscuit, Macaroons, Torta Gianduja or Banana Cake will tell you how great they are, but we’ll let you be the judge. Pick up one of our gluten-free treats today and see if you notice the difference.

*Our gluten-free items are made in a gluten-friendly environment, so there may be cross-contamination.

Growing up in a “hyper-verbal” family and feeling that she could never keep up with their loquacious nature, Rachel Brumer found other ways of expressing herself. This is what brought about her eclectic work history, which includes a brief dancing stint with Ringling Brothers Circus, and eventually led to her career as a studio artist. As the latest artist to show her work in our SODO café, Rachel shares about her unique approach to creating a series.“I have a strong belief in the power of alternate forms of language,” explains Rachel. “For me, they are so involving that sometimes when I am working I am actually not thinking in English but some kind of kinesthetic and visual language.”Mourning the loss of her good friend Daniel who passed away in 1990, Rachel made a quilt to pay tribute to him. This memorial was the genesis for her latest career. Since then she’s created an entire series of quilts to honor children who perished during the Holocaust as well as many other series of work. An avid reader, Rachel’s most recent collection called "Movable Type" combines her love for the shape, design, and feel of books.Drawing upon her past professions as a modern dancer and American Sign Language interpreter and her collaboration with other artists, Rachel's work conveys a powerful message.“I worked with Bill Evans, Dan Wagoner, Mark Morris, Lucinda Childs, and one of the most important experiences in my professional life was working on the opera 'Einstein on the Beach' with Philip Glass and Robert Wilson,” remembers Rachel. “I saw amazing works by Llory Wilson, Pat Graney, and Wade Madsen in Seattle; and Merce Cunningham, Pina Bausch, and many others in New York.”You can find her work in our café through the end of July, and then at Sun Valley's Friesen Gallery through August 25. In the meantime, she is preparing for a different sort of exchange.“I'll be showing work at Anchor Art Space in Anacortes along with a wonderful group of other artists. My work there will be completely different than what you see [at SODO]," Rachel adds, referring to the "Drawn In" exhibit from August 2 through September 15. "It also has a trading component. If you contribute a small work on paper, you can take home a small work of mine.”Think of it as just another form of communication.

Finding success despite adversity is all part of a great adventure, and it happens to be the story behind our restaurant partners Ellen Kelly and Rick Weersing. During the economic downturn in 2009, the duo - a former attorney and an REI employee, respectively - found themselves jobless. Then along came their "aha moment."“We used to go hiking all the time and talk about what our bar would be like and what kind of beer we would have on tap,” remembers Ellen. “And then the opportunity presented itself. We just thought, Let’s do it!”That initial spark propelled them to launch The Noble Fir in Ballard. Part base camp, part beer bar, “The Fir” opened in 2010 and seemingly had an instant following despite its owners admitted inexperience.“There are lots of great beer bars in Seattle, but we wanted to distinguish ourselves,” says Ellen. So, they set about creating a backpackers’ haven with photographs from their trips adorning the walls and a small library of guidebooks - 200 of which came from their own collection - tucked in a corner.“I am amazed at how much people utilize our maps and books! People come in during the week and plan trips for the weekend and they’ll ask for recommendations. Then they’ll come back on Sunday evening and talk about it with us.”And what hikers' refuge would be complete without good beer and snacks? The bar offers an irresistible assortment of meats, cheeses, and veggies with Macrina Baguette to complement their 18 rotating taps. Most evenings The Fir is bustling with groups lined along the floor-to-ceiling windows, chatting over plates of triple crème with pate, dishes of baguette, and imperial pints of craft beer.It wasn’t long before Rick and Ellen were ready for a new adventure, though. With the success of The Noble Fir as their map, they decided to tackle the restaurant business, opening The Sixgill in Fremont last April. The restaurant is already creating a buzz with Eric Stover, a veteran of the Tom Douglas empire, heading up The Sixgill kitchen. Once a regular at The Fir, Eric thoughtfully designs the menu around the 36 beers on tap, incorporating seasonal produce, seafood, and Macrina products throughout.“The response has been great. People expected we’d have great beer because of The Fir, but we’ve heard lots of people say things like, ‘Wow! The food is great!’ as they’re leaving the restaurant.”So, what’s the one menu item Ellen can’t live without?“There is all of this fish in Seattle, but you can’t find a fish sandwich anywhere that’s not fried. When we hired Eric, I said, ‘You can do whatever you want with the menu, but there has to be a fish sandwich.’ So, the Blacked Cod Club is my favorite thing.”

Interested in expanding your baking knowledge while sampling some of Seattle's finest baked goods? We are opening our kitchen doors to the public this Saturday! Join us on June 29, from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at our SODO location for the Bread Bakers Guild of America (BBGA) Third Annual Open House.“[We’re] inviting our customers to taste fresh, artisan breads, tour our labor-intensive baking facilities, and ask professionals those questions to help solve baking challenges at home,” says Macrina Founder and BBGA Board Member Leslie Mackie.More than 50 bakeries across the United States and Canada are participating in this event, which was created by the BBGA as a way for communities to connect with their local bakeries. For us, the open house is also an accessible avenue for our community to experience the art and passion we put behind our products.Comprised of industry professionals, educators, students, and home bakers from around the world, the BBGA formed in 1993 to shape the skills and knowledge of the baking community through education.For more information, visit the BBGA website or call 206-623-0919.