Dear Friends and Neighbors
As you may have heard, we have cooled our wood fired hearth for the time being.
We are doing this in response to the recent heat wave and in anticipation of a hotter than usual summer along with the possibility of wildfires. We don't want our oven to contribute to the already challenged air quality this time of year. Plus our AC works hard enough keeping the bakery cool in high temperatures without adding a massive heat tank into the space.
Alas, it may be that our beautiful oven is a winter only feature!
A little piece of trivia to help you appreciate the nature of this for us is that it takes at least a week to bring the oven up to bread baking temperature. It has to be done slowly to minimize damage to the masonry as it gradually stores heat in the mass. So even if we saw a cool stretch coming up, by the time the oven was ready to go the forecast may have changed. She has no on/off switch!! That is part of the beauty of her.
For now we are limiting our bread menu to pan loaves and Focaccia and Mountain Bread, (along with our pastries which are not affected) and many of you have graciously made the switch. Thank you for understanding! Also the bake team is working to come up with other creative things that can be done from our convection ovens.
If I were going to predict when the oven will be back in action, I would say October. As  with so many things in life at the time, we are playing it by ear.
Please accept my deep gratitude for your continued business and for rolling with us in these unprecedented times.