Hello, Mercer Island!

On Saturday, July 5, we’ll unlock the doors to our newest café at 3051 78th Ave. SE, right across from Mercerdale Park on Mercer Island. Guests will find a spacious patio and a warm, welcoming interior — and everything you love about Macrina: crackly-crusted artisan breads, buttery cornetti, pastries, cakes, tarts, hearty sandwiches, comforting soups, weekend-brunch favorites, seasonal specials, and a complete lineup of espresso drinks. 

“Over the years, many Mercer Island and Eastside residents have visited our Seattle cafés,” says Scott France, president and part-owner of Macrina. “They frequently ask when we might open one closer to them. We’re thrilled to join a neighborhood that’s already welcomed us in spirit.” 

For those living on the Eastside, the café will make it much easier to grab your favorite Macrina items for parties, and it will also serve as a destination spot for brunches, lunches, meeting friends after a stroll through the farmers’ market, and business meetings. For islanders, we hope you’ll make the Mercer Island café part of your daily ritual. We’re delighted to be on the island and can’t wait to see you soon. 

The café will be open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 

Macrina Supports Seattle Pride

From June 23 to 29, net proceeds from the sale of our special large Brown-Sugar Shortbread Cookie will benefit the Seattle Pride Foundation.

“Embracing diversity is one of our core values,” says Leslie Mackie, our founder. “We’re proud to support Seattle’s Pride celebrations!”

Our Pride shortbread cookies are a sweet way to celebrate and stand with an organization that matters. Seattle Pride produces and promotes pride events to connect, strengthen, and advocate for Seattle’s LGBTQIA+ community. The Seattle Pride Parade is one of the largest in the country, with more than 300,000 people marching for joy, justice, and belonging. This year’s parade is Sunday, June 29, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. 

Our store managers and crew have our support and encouragement to bring their own unique flair and personalities to each café’s celebrations. “Working for a bakery like Macrina that supports and highlights our community is such a blessing,” said Joshua Kull, GM of our Aloha café. 

Make your celebration sweeter with our Pride cookie. 

Celebrating Juneteenth at Macrina

From June 16 to 22nd, net proceeds from sales of our special large Brown-Sugar Shortbread Cookie will go to Community Passageways in honor of Juneteenth.

Juneteenth — Emancipation Day — marks June 19, 1865, when Union troops reached Galveston, Texas and announced freedom to the quarter-million people still enslaved there, more than two years after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. 

Four years ago, Juneteenth became a federal holiday, one to celebrate together as a nation. The holiday honors freedom’s arrival and the long journey of hope, renewal, and joy for Black Americans.

Celebrations have grown across the country — concerts, parades, educational events, festivals — and gatherings in parks and backyards with friends and family over food. Add our specially decorated Juneteenth shortbread cookie to your celebration. Every cookie helps fund Community Passageways, a transformative force in Seattle working to break the school-to-prison cycle with a school-to-life pathway. Macrina has supported the non-profit since 2020. 

Founded and led by Dominique Davis, Community Passageways uses restorative, culturally relevant programs to guide and support youth. They strengthen communities and advance public safety through committed relationships grounded in love, compassion, and consistency. Collaborating with other human services, public health, and public safety organizations, they open doors to a brighter future for all.

Black Americans have honored Juneteenth since the late 1800s, blending jubilation with reflection. The legacy of slavery, and the racism that fed it, still shadows the nation. As Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Stop by, grab a cookie, and support Community Passageways.

Order cookies now!

A Celebration of Pi(e): Math is Cool but Pie Tastes Better

In honor of Pi Day, Macrina will offer individually sized mini pies in four favorite flavors for an entire week beginning on March 10 

Pi Day is an annual celebration of the famed mathematical constant, Albert Einstein’s birthday, and edible homonyms (aka tasty round things) — which is why we choose to celebrate it with a week-long celebration of pie. From March 10 to March 16, we’ll be offering individually sized mini pies in four favorite flavors at all our cafés. Last year, we sold out quickly, so don’t dilly dally. Here they are: 

For those of you looking to share, we’ll also have the Very Berry and Maple Apple as 9-inch pies. Whether you love math or love to hate it, come celebrate your love of pie at Macrina.

Treat Yourself: Free Crostini with Every $25 Purchase 

Free box of Cranberry Apricot Crostini with every café purchase over $25 while supplies last

There’s something special about stepping into a Macrina Bakery café. Whether you’re grabbing a quick coffee in Belltown, meeting an old friend in Queen Anne or at our bustling Aloha café on Capitol Hill, or exploring our newest spot in Maple Leaf, you’ll find the same warm welcome we’ve been sharing for over 30 years. With six cafés throughout the Seattle area, Macrina is never too far away.

We’ve heard tales of folks hiking miles just to savor a slice of Mom’s Chocolate Cake or a Ham & Gruyère brioche. We’ve also met people who shared their first kiss here, or discovered they were ready to turn a corner in life while seated at one of our tables. Our cafés are more than just bakeries — they’re convivial places to gather over great food. 

Wherever you find us, we aim to brighten your day, whether you swing in for your favorite loaf of bread, pick up those brioche buns that make your backyard burgers locally famous, or satisfy your craving for a slice of cake so good it’s worth the calories. Our attentive staff has long been at the heart of who we are, ready to pull a perfect espresso or help you with tough choices such as choosing between the Roly Poly and a Bialy Egg Sandwich (both!). 

While supplies last, when you spend $25 or more at one of our cafés, we’ll add a free package of our Cranberry Apricot Crostini — a must-have for anyone who likes to keep the fixings for great appetizers on hand. Think of them as crackers, only better. We brush thin slices of bread with olive oil and toast them.  

So come see us. Slow down for a moment, taste something delicious, and make a memory you’ll cherish. We’ll be here waiting to welcome you in. See you soon! 

Something for your Valentine? Macrina’s Monthly Subscription Club Makes a Great Gift

Looking for a gift that truly satisfies? Or a resolution you’ll actually want to keep? Macrina’s Monthly Subscription Club will bring guaranteed joy to you or your loved one. Sign up and receive a handpicked selection of both savory and sweet baked goods, thoughtfully chosen by our founder, Leslie Mackie — plus exclusive members-only treats. From artisan breads and delectable pastries to savory quiches, sourdough bagels, and specialty jams, you’ll enjoy the same handcrafted quality that has made our neighborhood café a beloved community gathering spot since 1993.

How it works: Sign up, and you’ll receive a curated selection of savory and sweet treats each month. You can have them delivered to your door (+$15) or pick up your box at our SODO café. You can skip a month, pause, or cancel your membership anytime.

Cost: $50/month for two people or $95/month for four people

What you get: A sample box might include (items change each month): Mini Baguettes with Butter & Jam, Ham & Cheese Brioche, Organic Sourdough White Bread, Rosemary & Tomato Focaccia, Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins, Olivia’s Chocolate Chip Cookies, Maple Apple Handpies, Raspberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake, plus special members-only surprises!

Our subscription club delivery area

Baking with Leslie & Guatemala Village Health

Receive the perfect Mother’s Day gift and contribute to the health and well-being of Mayan villagers’ lives! Sign up by April 20th for the baking demonstration April 28th

In her 20s, Leslie Mackie worked in Los Angeles with many Guatemalans. She fell in love with their big hearts and generous souls. Her daughter, Olivia, now 23, was born in Guatemala City. A few years ago, Leslie learned about Guatemala Village Health from her daughter. Through education, empowerment of local leaders, and development of local health providers, this fantastic non-profit gathers people to help improve village health and prosperity in Guatemala. When they asked us to team up for a fundraiser to support their efforts in improving Mayan villagers’ lives, we couldn’t say no!

For each $75 donation to the Guatemala Village Health fundraiser, you will receive a tote bag containing a Macrina Chocolate Raspberry Cupcake Kit, a jar of Project Barnstorm Raspberry Conserves, and a Macrina tea towel. Donate $120, and you’ll also get our most recent cookbook, Seasons, signed by Leslie.

 

In addition, all donors get to join Leslie on April 28 for a Zoom baking demonstration from her Vashon Island farmhouse kitchen. She will demonstrate how to bake our Chocolate Raspberry cupcakes, assisted by her daughter Olivia. “I will demonstrate the mixing, baking, and making of the filling,” says Leslie. “We will also demonstrate how to sugar some edible flowers for Mother’s Day.”

 

Our Seasons Cookbook includes some of our customers’ favorite Macrina kitchen recipes, from brunch dishes, to summer desserts. Celebrated local photographer Jim Henkens spent days on Leslie’s Vashon Island farm to create the vivid images that illustrate the well-tested recipes.

By participating in this fundraiser for Guatemala Village Health, you can make a valuable contribution, learn how to bake delicious chocolate raspberry cupcakes, and discover new favorite recipes in our cookbook.

Register Here: https://www.gvhealth.org/events/bake

May 1st, 2022 Update: 

Thank you to everyone who made this a successful and amazing fundraiser! Here are some photos from the event:


Leslie Mackie, assisted by her daughter Olivia Mackie
Leslie and Carolyn Bain, Executive Director of Guatemala Village Health 
The lovely cupcakes!

Saying Thank You With Pie

Nancy LaVallee gives away about 100 pies every Thanksgiving 

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, on First Avenue in Seattle’s Sodo neighborhood,  Nancy LaVallee stuffs her car with more pies than might seem prudent. She manages to pack in about 50 and a friend piles the rest in her car. They caravan slowly back to Nancy’s Mercer Island home to prepare some hot apple cider and await their guests. Fortunately, there’s never been a fender bender on the way home, which could be messy.

Nancy is a Mercer Island-based real estate agent for Windermere who sells homes all over the city. She started the great Thanksgiving pie giveaway eight years ago. The pies are for her neighbors and clients.

“It’s a big day for me,” says Nancy. “Clients from all over the greater Seattle area come to my home for the pie pickup,” says Nancy. “It’s so fun to see everyone, and to be able to thank them for their support. Everyone loves the pies, and it means they don’t have to bake as much, which helps since everyone is busy over the holidays.”

Before settling on Macrina as her pie baker of choice, Nancy went to eight different bakeries and sampled pies. Some years, she’s gotten pumpkin from one bakery, apple from another. But eventually she settled on Macrina. “Eight years ago, I started out with a small order, but it’s grown,” Nancy says. “Macrina can handle a hundred pies. Not everyone can handle that volume two days before Thanksgiving.”

Nancy is especially fond of Macrina’s Maple Apple Pie. “I call it the high pie apple pie,” says Nancy. “It’s meaty. It’s got a lot of apples. And it lasts. I get my pies early. It tastes great two days later, maybe even better. It’s a great tasting pie.”

Nancy enjoys the ritual of picking up the big order at our Sodo location. “A baker comes out to say hello and they help me load up, which is charming,” says Nancy. “It’s nice to be able to say thank you.”

In 2020, Nancy put a little note in with the pies saying she was collecting non-perishable food items for Leschi Elementary School families in need. “We had over 45 bags of food to donate last year,” says Nancy. “It was quite overwhelming.”

This year she’s doing it again.

We’re grateful!

 

 

Summer Supper: Chez Leslie

When Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse in Berkeley on August 28, 1971, no one would have predicted how much she’d change our understanding of natural ingredients, how we grow them, and how we cook them. The proliferation of America’s local-seasonal-organic foods and the farm-to-table movement grew out of this new approach to eating.  

Flash forward to summer 2019. There is no better place to experience ultra-local cuisine than the smallfarm-filled epicurean paradise of Vashon Island. This is a big part of the reason Leslie chose to host Les Dames D’Escoffier’s 7th annual Summer Supper and Farm Tour at her Vashon Island Farm.  

Thirty guests were treated to an exclusive tour of local farms, followed by a four-course al fresco meal on the patio surrounded by hazelnut trees and roaming chickens. Naturally, the dinner featured Vashon Island ingredients. Each course was paired with wines from Palouse Winery and Maury Island Winery 

The farm tour started at Nashi Orchards, a premium producer of handcrafted perry and hard cider. They grow Asian and European pears and heirloom apples on 27 beautiful acres, using sustainable practices. Cheryl and Jim Gerlach, the owners and cider masters, talked the group through a history of the industry. “We work very hard to manage our soil and the condition of our trees to ensure the flavor from our fruit is in every bottle,” Jim said. They helped guests distinguish the subtle differences in the varieties of fruit and took guests on a tour of their new tasting room in the town of Vashon.  

The next stop was to Old Chaser Farm, where Matt Dillon, the award-winning chef behind Sitka & SpruceBar Ferdinand and The London Plane, led tours of the 20-acre organic farm where he raises vegetables and meat, including cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. While walking through the fields of ripe vegetables, Matt talked about Seattle’s current restaurant scene and the importance of sustainability in farming.  

Back at Leslie’s for a cocktail hour, guests snacked on appetizers, including a favorite made with local figs and mascarpone, and enjoyed a signature cocktail made from a local red currant syrup, ginger beer, BSB bourbon, apricot puree and soda water. A naturalist, Greg Rabourn, led guests around Leslie’s farm pointing out wild edible plants we might not recognize.  

Before the meal, everyone gathered for a few words about Green Table Grants. Then guests took their seats, and several long-time Les Dames members began serving food that would have made Alice Waters proud. 

New Bakery: Making Kent a Little Sweeter!

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Lady Macrina watching over us all.

Not too long ago, I was working away at our Sodo bakery marveling at how small the space had become. Our team was working shoulder to shoulder, each process a fine-tuned choreography of mixing, forming and baking with counter space at a premium. My mind wandered back to 1993. When I first opened Macrina Bakery, I had six employees, and 847 square feet packed with a French Bongard oven, a stack of convection ovens, one mixer, an espresso machine and steel baker’s racks to cool the bread. I had been dreaming of having such a kitchen for years and here I was producing a full line of artisan breads, muffins, coffee cakes and tarts. Business took off through word of mouth, some very beloved wholesale customers and some very positive reviews. All my energy went into baking. Soon this kitchen was bursting at the seam and after only a year, I leased the adjoining space, enlarged the kitchen and added a cafe. We were able to offer more pastry items, develop some savory dishes and add new breads. It was a time of incredible growth for Macrina.

Eight years later with another cafe open in the Queen Anne neighborhood, production was moved to a larger space on 2nd Avenue. With more space, more ovens and better equipment we were able to organize better and again add items to our line of breads, pastries and savory items. We even improved some old favorites. Business continued to grow. Our cafes were thriving and more and more wholesale customers were added to our family. My crew and I shared great highs and weathered growing pains that tested our collective graciousness.

And soon we needed more space.

In 2008, with new partners, we found an industrial building in the Sodo neighborhood. We doubled our kitchen size, had plenty of parking for delivery vans and space for a cafe that could feature big windows both outside and into the kitchen. There was even space upstairs for administrative offices. I thought we would never fill all the space! The expertise, dedication and experience of my managing partners allowed me to step back from business operations and spend more time in the kitchen. We invested in and learned from our talented staff who are devoted to making the best breads and pastries. We improved ingredients, sourced more local products and services, and added sweet and savory items our customers requested. We increased our delivery area, our cafes were thriving and our growth continued.

Remarkably we outgrew this space quickly.

For the last few years we’ve been bursting at the seams again, forced to find more efficient ways to work within our confines. So, after a year of planning and another 6 months of construction, we have moved again!  Our new bakery is in Kent, which I like to refer to as the new Sodo (industrial, up and coming). I am in love with our well thought out bakery, with impressive temperature controls, the tools we need to keep up with demand and enough space for each team to spread out.

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The first bake in our new home.

As I was working shoulder to shoulder in our Sodo space that day not too long ago, I was very much looking forward to sharing the new space with my team. Now that we have officially moved in, I am even more excited. I love seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces as they acclimate to their new home. We no longer have to push racks of bread around to get into the walk-in and we aren’t tripping over pallets of flour. I love having the space to create.  I am working on a new line of pastries that will blow you away.  You will have to stay tuned to see what we have coming later this summer.  Trust me it is worth the wait.

I think I speak for all of us when I say we’re very excited about Macrina’s future.

Leslie