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| Katie McNeil |
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Pacific Sourdough
Newport
Katie McNeil’s Pacific Sourdough booth is always easy to spot. Just look for the line, which begins to form half an hour before the Newport Farmers’ Market opens at 9 a.m.
In the 15 years since she started selling at this Saturday market, McNeil has built an artisan bread community. She and her customers share a dedication to delicious breads and pastries made with sustainable, Northwest-grown flours, organic spices and nuts, locally made butter and the best fruits of the season, and without preservatives, artificial ingredients or hydrogenated oils.
She lays out a grand selection, including six kinds of sourdough, Italian focaccia, yeast breads, muffins, scones, cookies and coffee cakes. The table is crowded with vegan spice cakes, almond cakes, fruit tarts and the “puff” of the week (puff pastry cradling layers of cheesecake and fruit filling, and dusted with powdered sugar). McNeil makes them all herself at her certified bakery in Waldport. The selection can vary, but it doesn’t seem to matter.
“I have great clients for wholesale goods during the week, but my favorite thing is to meet those people and see them walk away with a smile on their face and crumbs on their chin,” McNeil said. “When they buy it from me, they know I’ve made it myself, and it’s not packaged in a factory. And that feels good.”
She also likes a challenge. Three years ago, a customer asked if Pacific Sourdough made anything that wasn’t sweet. “Why not savory?” the bread lover asked. McNeil’s gears turned until she came up with the Baker’s Lunch, a pastry that’s filled with one of two hearty fillings: roasted potatoes, garlic and gorgonzola cheese, or sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, ricotta and parmesan. The perfect partner for a salad with farmers’ market greens, the Baker’s Lunch is almost too popular.
“I bring six dozen, and I never get one for lunch,” she said. “I always have to eat a sandwich.”
It’s a sacrifice McNeil is willing to make.
“I have customers who are 15-year, loyal customers who have been coming to me from the very beginning, and I am grateful to live in a community that recognizes the importance of the farmers’ market. It’s very special to be part of this community of buyers and sellers.”
Learn more at newportfarmersmarket.org or pacificsourdough.com |
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