The Baked Cafe, Camano Commons Marketplace
Sweet, sweet failure
Vacations and visits always do me in. No matter how much I plan and give myself pep talks, I always end up cheating on my diet.
Goodbye clean eating, hello gluttony!
In the days leading up to my quickie-getaway to Camano Island, WA, I vowed to avoid soda, dessert, and bread, and to stick to intermittent fasting at the very least.
I’m not too proud to say I failed utterly.
I took one look at the sourdough bread at The Baked Cafe in Camano Commons Market Place, and fell, hard.
Then, there was the raspberry oat scone incident.
You’d have cheated, too.
My weakness paid off. As soon as we got back to the VRBO, I fired up some coffee (with coconut sugar), cut into the thick, hearty sourdough boule, and toasted a few fun slices, along with the scone, to share with my husband and my mom visiting from Hawaii.
Eyes rolled. Moans and groans ensued, before going in for seconds and thirds.
Luckily, we had the presence of mind to buy almond and chocolate croissants, and raspberry and chocolate chunk cookies. None of it lasted past a day or two.
My husband wasn’t so sure about the sourdough initially, deeming it a little dense for his liking. He’s used to mine, lighter than air — a sign the natural yeast is working — and full of tangy, “sour” flavor, with a crunchy, fall-apart crust to die for.
This sourdough had a crust, too, and such deep, deep flavor, as if left to rise for several nights in the fridge before baking off to a deep, rich, caramel color. It looked like somebody’s European grandmother made it, all chunky around the edges of the score, despite there being no noticeable ear to speak of.
Frankly, I’d rather have this sourdough than my own. It felt, smelled, and tasted more authentically Old World, where my soul resides.
The toasted sourdough slices went so well with the beach views, and the egg, bacon, and blueberry breakfasts we scrambled together in the mornings.
Even when we drove back home to Twin Falls, ID, the sourdough lasted a few days longer, which is unheard of. Mine lasts about two days on the counter, and maybe two or three more in the fridge before going moldy.
Jesse Childress, who has a Business Management degree, is the brains behind the scratch-made, locally sourced operation. He also owns the Sub Joint fronting Camano Commons, custom-assembling popular roast beef, hot pastrami, and Italian subs for ravenous, on-the-go customers.
After bouncing from real estate tycoon (later hit hard by the 2008 housing crisis) to Penske store manager to State Farm insurance agent, Childress found his true calling filling tummies with fulfilling, down-home fare.
Every day he and his staff of bakers and chefs cook up the kind of free and easy NW awe people down in the hills and valleys of somewhere else only dream about. I’m talkin’ drizzly chorizo pancakes that somehow look meaty, thick, jalapeno-cheddar hoecakes with glistening over-easy eggs, Spam-katsu burger, pork belly burrito, juicy, cheesy drippy Philly rolls, a Baked Benny with sausage gravy, Reaper Wings, toasted sourdough with fresh-caught smoked salmon dip…a leftover masterpiece draped in all the trimmings.
A dangerous, dangerous place.
The next day, halfway through our vacation, I went back to get more pastries (ahem) and thank the man himself for the best sourdough I’ve had in ages. He looked a little taken aback, fully expecting me to ask him another stupid question about the day-old loaves sitting out front like I did the previous morning (“We no longer put fresh bread there anymore, because some customers would squeeze them, then complain that they’re bad…”).
After blinking at me for a few seconds, a smile trying to spread across his face, he said there were more fresh loaves just behind the display case window to the side of the public entrance — across from the bakery itself.
I only wish I lived nearby to take advantage of the offer. Every day would be a Baked Cafe day, believe me.
And then I’d be 300 pounds, with back pain, digging my own grave, because I just can’t control myself.
If I’m ever back there, though, I’m trying the breakfast dishes Childress and his team seem to put out on the fly. The whimsical dishes look more inviting than most of the breakfast joints up near Stanwood with the long waits, the tepid dishwater coffee, and the flavorless, burnt nothing specials.
The Baked Cafe
848 N. Sunrise Blvd., Ste. C, Camano Island, WA
(425) 232-5885
