A Creative Community Newsletter for Information and Inspiration
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Each week we will send news you need to know about the COVID crisis that will help put us on the road to recovery. We will also give you a glimpse of how our creative colleagues from across the state are using their talent to bring us all closer together!
This week, we're loving our sourdough starters and baked treats. Read on to find out how bakeries and creatives are rising to the occasion by helping out their communities.
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If you missed our webinar today, "Finding Your Way Out of The Unemployment Maze," don't worry! It's been recorded and you can find it online
here
.
From June 24 – July 5, the
Washington State Employment Security Department
will be focusing on outbound calls and limiting the amount of inbound calls they receive in order to focus on resolving issues for those who have been waiting the longest. In addition, the suspension of job search requirements for benefits
was extended
through July 1.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) started accepting applications for the
new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program on June 15. Don't know much about the EIDL? Read our one-sheet on the program and what it offers
here
.
Did you know that gig workers can apply for a $1,000 grant from the EIDL program? Here are some
really helpful tips
on how to apply as a gig worker.
Last week's
Filling the Void
episode from
Seattle Film Summit
featured our very own Amy Lillard chatting about new practices for returning safely to work. Check it out
here
.
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Check out the
Articulations Podcast
, hosted by Seattle-based musicians Joshua Kohl and Ben McAllister. Their most recently released, two-part episode,
Our Venues During COVID-19
, includes interviews with a wide swath of venue owners.
GIGS4U
provides gigs for the Northwest’s top performers at places like SeaTac International Airport and Seafair. Click this
link
to
submit yourself for work or to
put in a request
to hire a musician.
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BE INSPIRED
Ethos Bakery Gives Back With Bread
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Ethos Bakery
in Richland has been baking up creative sweets and treats for the Tri-Cities area for years.
In response to COVID-19, their
Pay-It-Forward program
is a collaboration between the Ethos team and the local restaurant and agricultural community, to provide loaves of bread, pastry boxes, meals, coffee donations, and more to community groups such as Meals on Wheels, Boys & Girls Club, Soza Food Bank, and their local 911 dispatch office.
We asked Angela Kora, owner and head baker at Ethos a few questions about the program, sourcing local ingredients and baking as self-care.
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Angela Kora, Owner, Head Baker at Ethos Bakery & Cafe in Richland, WA
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Can you give us a recipe for something people can bake at home?
One of my favorite recipes featuring seasonal fruit is our
Olive Oil Polenta Cake
. With strawberries in season right now, my favorite combo is a strawberry sage variation—it seems unusual, but the sage adds a depth of flavor without being overbearing (especially if you fry the sage first in brown butter). Rhubarb and rose also pair well together, and fresh lavender is a perfect complement to mix with ripe blueberries!
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We are so excited and inspired by Ethos Bakery & Cafe's Pay-It-Forward campaign during lockdown. Who does the program support and what has been the most popular item so far?
The simple Bread Loaf Donation has been the most popular. For $5, we’ll match the customer donation and deliver two loaves to community members in need. We’ve donated over 150 loaves to date! We’ve also partnered with other restaurants led by our friends at Dovetail Joint Restaurant, who have coordinated and streamlined meal donations to area medical centers including Kadlec & Lourdes.
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Ethos Bakery works closely with local farms to source ingredients. Why do you think it’s important to source ingredients locally? And if people in communities want to support local farms, how can they do that?
We live in one of the most agriculturally rich areas in the country, which means we have access to so much great produce! Working with local farms not only means that we get to support our farmer neighbors (many of whom have also become friends), but it also means that we can enjoy fresh, peak-of-season produce through reduced transit time from field to bakery, test out unique varieties that may not make it to the conventional markets, and truly cook and bake seasonally.
We’re so excited that farmers’ markets are starting up again, and shopping at the markets is the easiest way to support local farms. This year, also look for farms who may be offering direct pickup or delivery services, such as
Hayshaker Farm
in Walla Walla,
Flatau Fruit Farms
, or
Schreiber Farms
. Farmers also have to get creative this season on how to provide produce to their community when area restaurants that may typically be their primary customer are not operating per usual due to coronavirus activity.
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Why do you think baking has been such a big part of people’s self-care during the pandemic?
Baking is predictable. In a time of so much unpredictability, baking, even more so than cooking, follows a formula. Measure this, mix in that, add a little of those, and
voilà
, you have a pie. Or cookies. Or bread.
It’s tangible as well – something that uses all of your senses – feel, taste, smell, sight. We’ve been forced to find creative ways to use our senses when our typical means of distraction aren’t available, and I think that’s a big reason why people have turned to baking and cooking.
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We also like to talk about
'breaditation'
at the bakery—especially when making bread, there’s a rhythm to the measuring, the mixing, the kneading, the shaping, the baking. There’s a little bit of magic involved as well—it never gets old to bake a loaf of bread, or a cake, or muffins, and to see them rise in the oven. I think there’s also a sense of nostalgia and comfort for many people when they bake – memories of childhood in Grandma’s kitchen, holiday cookies, or a celebratory birthday cake.
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Flour has become a hot commodity these days but Ethos was ahead of the curve. What made you decide to mill your own flour?
Fresh-milled, locally grown wheat has been part of our operations since we opened. I still remember the first time I tried muffins baked with freshly milled wheat, encouraged by a friend of mine about nine years ago who had a tabletop mill. It’s like trying coffee brewed with freshly ground beans for the first time – the flavors and aromas are so much more distinct!
And, I was so excited to be in a community where we would be able to source one of our primary ingredients directly from a local farm. In recent years, much more effort and research has gone into developing better whole grain recipes as well as breeding different wheat varieties that offer desirable properties for farmers, brewers, bakers, chefs, home cooks, and more. Wheat and grains are kind of like the final frontier for the farm to fork revival, and encouraging and supporting regional grain economies provides not only a renewed connection to an ancient crop that has sustained human life for thousands of years, but also builds resiliency within a community by encouraging more growing, milling, brewing, and baking at a local scale.
What do you think is the most common mistake home bakers make?
Being afraid of a recipe! I’m a perfectionist which means that sometimes the idea of "messing up" a recipe will make me not want to try it or give up part-way through. But, while baking can be intimidating especially to people who like to cook by feel versus by recipe, baking actually can offer a great opportunity for creativity, especially once you understand some of the basic fundamentals (and get to work with great produce).
And even if you make a mistake, most "mistakes" typically come out pretty tasty. (
Unless, you forget the sugar. Been there, done that…
) Oh, and if you’re really getting into at-home baking, buy a scale. It will change your baking life! Measure ingredients by weight, versus by volume, for even more predictable and consistent results.
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We Tried To Make A 350-Year-Old Ice Cream Recipe
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SUPPORT COMMUNITY
Washington Bakeries Offer Delicious Delights
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OPENTogether
offers free PPE distribution for small and non-profit businesses (49 employees and under) from Greater Spokane Inc. Register for yours
here
.
King County is also offering free PPE to King County residents and businesses, more information on that is
here
.
This anti-racism Virtual Bake Sale already has over 2,400 members around the globe.
Here’s how you can join.
#BakersAgainstRacism
Kirkland’s own
Pinckney Cookie Cafe
has received so much support since Washingtonians started prioritizing supporting Black-owned businesses, that now they have a cookie order backlog! Check out the SeattleMet’s list of Black-owned restaurants
here
. And
KJ’s Cakery Bakery
in Kent is open for business and ready to churn out yummy desserts! What a delicious way to support a Black-owned business!
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CREATIVITY IS EVERYWHERE
Creatives Around the World Rise to the Cause
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And a look inside the
flour company
supplying America’s sudden baking obsession.
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Washington Filmworks (WF) is the private 501(c)(6) non-profit organization that manages the Motion Picture Competitiveness program as well as a diversity of resources for the creative industries in Washington State. WF's mission is to create economic development opportunities by building and enhancing the competitiveness, profile and sustainability of Washington State’s film industry.
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At Whipsmart, we are unapologetic advocates for creative people and businesses. We give creative professionals the tools they need to succeed, by meeting them where they’re at—offering intentionally curated mentorships, job opportunities, and business resources scaled to every stage of their career.
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