The NE Neighborhood Association commissioned Rus Guh to make a sculture that represented the nature of the neighborhood. Originally it was placed on the side of the San Francisco Avenue hill but it wasn’t very visible there and the Association decided that it should be moved to a different site. Mike Drexel, the president of the association, approached us about locating the sculpture in front of the Bakery and we thought that it would look great there and we quickly agreed to the plan. The relocation is complete now and you can see for yourself that it looks fantastic and it can be seen by everyone who drives through the Bethel-San Francisco intersection, and by everyone who attends our local elementary school.

Just got home from shopping at “Duck The Malls” at the Capitol Theater. Gene and I visited with our friend Dana who was selling hand ground spice mixtures, cookbooks, notecards, and even some “real” artwork. She lures people into buying her spices by having them smell them. They make you dream of curry and masala and you begin to wonder what you might be having for dinner. It’s so much fun to shop for Christmas presents at this event because the vendors are selling interesting and beautiful things and you make your purchases from the people who made them, right here in Olympia. Too late to participate this year but keep it in mind for next year.

We have been testing a chicken pot pie recipe this week and I think that we have a new lunch time hit. The crust is a simple pie crust made with flour, water, and salt. It’s filled with chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, green peas, milk, home made chicken stock, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme, butter, flour, and garlic.

Corn chowder this weekend. Just sayin’.

Stocked our new vintage sodas this afternoon. I saw them in a market in Hama Hama and I knew we had to have them at the Bakery. They’re bottled in Mukilteo by Orca Beverage Soda Works. Check out their web page, it includes a video of the bottling plant.

Autumn brings rain and a chill in the air. Business is quieter, the Farmer’s Market goes to two days a week, Saturday and Sunday until Christmas Eve and even the Bakery is slower.  The slow down gives us an opportunity to experiment with recipes and try new products all the while looking towards the Thanksgiving holiday. That’s when we get to have a wider selection of products than we normally have and that’s fun for us. This weekend we have French onion soup served with cheese and french bread, comfort food for wet, stormy days.

Gene and I have decided that we really can’t continue our dinner business with only five indoor tables, we just can’t generate enough sales to employ two cooks and a server. Last night was our last service until next year when we can use our outdoor seating again. We consider our endeavor a huge success, we had fun, ate a lot of great food, and built up an impressive wine cellar. People were enthusiastic and supportive and I want to thank all of you who came to eat with us. -Judi

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