Free bread tomorrow!
Jeet? I need some taste testers for my final test bake in the new ovenπ€π½
Good morning bread friends!Β
You all have been patient with me. Amazingly patient. Thank you.Β
Iβm not JUST talking about your patience this spring & summer while Iβve been updating you on how bread will come back whenever we finishΒ building a bakery in our basement. Youβve been patient with me for the past two years. During that time Iβve barely been selling bread, and been quiet on my newsletter without much explanation.Β I'm deeply grateful that you're still here!
Someday I hope to write you a letter that unpacks some of the background on what led me to fade away for a while, as well as how nice it feels to make it back. But not today. Todayβs letter is about sharing some simple joyous news about bread!Β
The basement is finished! The bakery is set up! And tomorrow weβre giving away free bread!Β
For the past few weeks, Iβve been conducting test bakes of my sourdough loaves in my new deck oven. Tomorrow will hopefully be my last test bake as I test the process of making a larger batch. Iβll be making over 30 loaves and Iβm going to need some assistance from bread friends who might be willing to help me eat all these extra loaves of sourdough. All that I ask in return for the free bread is some feedback on how it is turning out. ππ§βπ³
Lately, Iβve been thinking a lot about how food and community are intertwined in life. Eating is a necessity of life. But by sharing food with others we can take this simple process of fulfilling an act of survival and transform it into a joyous experience and lasting memories.
When you think about itβ¦ being able to take something so simple and transform it into something so magical is pretty amazing. With a little intentionality, we can shift from just nourishing our bodies to nourishing our bodies and our souls.Β
That is the essence of this whole business.
Sharing bread with you all has formed this amazing community of people with an affinity for good bread and a heart for justice. The eating bread is great on its own. But together, we are also nourishing our souls as we give back to our greater community, and learn together about the ways that nonprofits around us are working towards a more just society.
Thinking about being in community with you also causes me to reflect on the reality that Iβve met relatively few of you. I started selling bread when COVID had us all social distancing. That shaped many of the norms of how weβve done bread pickup. But Iβd love to meet more of you!Β
With that in mindβ¦ Iβm working on a plan to evolve the setup for bread pickup.Β Β For tomorrow though - it will feel familiar to anyone who has picked up bread before. Same front porch. Same wooden bench setup.Β
Pickup will start at 10am tomorrow (Saturday Aug 17th). No need to submit an order this time. But please only take one per family. I anticipate we'll run out, so first come first serve for the first few hours.Β
You'll get another note from me tomorrow when they're all gone, so if you haven't heard from me then you're still welcome to come by!Β
If you need a reminder of my address, reply to this email and Iβll send it to you.Β
Let me know if you have any questions.
I'm so excited to be sharing bread again π€Β
With love,Β
Mo Cheeks
bakerΒ
P.S. If you do pick up some bread tomorrow, please do email with any feedback you have on the bread. Also, if you decide to share the experience of eating bread with a friend or loved oneβ¦ Iβd love to hear that story. Itβd make my day!Β
P.P.S. If you read the word βjeetβ in the subtitle of this email and you knew what it meant right way, you get bonus points for your midwest sensibilities π Here is the definition