Ken is Ken Forkish, the founder and owner of Ken’s Artisan Bakery.  His career path to magical baker is somewhat unorthodox.  He had a successful career in telecommunications and internet advertising when, inspired by his experiences at the bakeries of France and Italy, he gave up tech to create his own bakery in order to make many of the breads and pastries that he loved in Europe but couldn’t find here:  A well-made croissant.  A rustic tart.  A real baguette.  “The things that come from the hands of an artisan.”  His path from computer to oven involved a great deal of self-led study and time at the San Francisco Baking Institute.  And he found inspiration in the artistry of the late famed Parisian baker, Louis Poilane.  For inspiration in the bakery, you can’t do better than Louis.

“After learning French methods for baking breads, croissants, and the boulanger’s rustic pastries, I intended to replicate many of the products I enjoyed at the boulangeries and pâtisseries of France.  A good baker is a juggler, balancing the temperature of the air and the flour and water.”  But “our original philosophy was always use the best ingredients, and try to get it perfect every time.”

You have to understand that using the best ingredients is a serious expense, as is taking the time and employing the people with the same desire to make things perfectly.  But the integrity of Ken’s process — making everything on the premises from scratch each day — and the perfection of his finished product, more than justify the cost.

Ken’s shop is often busy, and has a functional, Northwest contemporary feel.  Big windows, high ceilings, polished concrete floors, and a number of wooden tables and chairs.  You can hang out, eat pastries, drink lattés, and read the paper — or your tablet.