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The Grand
Central Baking Company in
Portland, Oregon, was packed when we arrived. People are happy to wait
in line to choose from a tantalizing selection of thirteen different kinds
of "rustic" breads and a variety of mouth-watering hand-made pastries.
Business
Manager Bob Kerr and Sales Manager Claire Randall greeted
us with fresh coffee, and invited us to join a tour of the bakery led
by Head Baker Mike Moran. We joined a group of students from Portland's
Environmental Middle School and their teacher, Monica Semeria,
for an insider's view of how Grand Central makes its popular wares.
It takes
three days to make a loaf of rustic bread. Most of that time is spent
in "proofing," or rising. Three thousand loaves a day emerge from Grand
Central's ovens on Hawthorne Boulevard, and 1200 more are baked at the
bakery's westside location. Restaurants and stores all over town look
to Grand Central to provide them with gourmet bread.
After our
tour, we sampled a cheese roll, a cinnamon roll, a scone, a "jammer,"
and some Calamata olive bread. Our final word on Grand Central's wares?
Mmmmm. Every city should be lucky enough to have a bakery like this one.
Originally
founded in Seattle by Gwen Bassetti, Grand Central Baking just
celebrated its third anniversary in Portland, where Gwen's son, Ben
Davis, is the company's General Manager.
The Grand
Central Baking Company
2230 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR 97214
Telephone: (503) 232-0575
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