Ravishing Radish: Where Epic Parties & Amazing Food Meet

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

Photo courtesy of Ravishing Radish Catering

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.

Tip & Tricks: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

Our delicious Squash Harvest Bread topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and walnuts.

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.

Meet Our Family: Rebecca Early

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

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.”

Tips for Baking Perfect Cookies

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

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!

Our Favorite Fall Pairings

Posted on September 25, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

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 + Americano

This 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 Macchiato

A 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 Latte

This 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.

Meet the Artist: Kirsten McElfresh

Posted on September 20, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

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.

Helping Link: Fostering Our Diverse Culture

Posted on September 18, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

Helping Link teaching an ESL class at our bakery. Photo provided by Helping Link.

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.

New Product: Spinach & Cheese Bun

Posted on September 13, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

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!

Meet Our Family: Michael Beblowski

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

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.

Our 20th Anniversary: Connecting to the Heart of Macrina

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Macrina Bakery

Leslie chats with Macrina customers during our Eat Real Food event on Wednesday, August 28.

Leslie connects with customers during our Eat Real Food event on Wednesday, August 28.

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!”