The Local Dirt: Cooking Demo this Saturday!

Featured Vendor: Delphina's Bakery

Delphina's Bakery, a Hollywood Farmers' Market customer favorite, has been selling at the market since 2002. Carolyn Mistell, owner, has been baking all her life. "Cooking and baking was my childhood pleasure - starting when my mother moved the chair to the kitchen counter so I could reach it, and then with my father who appreciated and ate everything I made, even when it failed", she says. Upon arriving in Portland in 1985, Carolyn worked at Meier & Frank's restaurant for the holidays, but was quickly drawn into work at Delphina's Bakery where she did whatever was needed.

After taking a couple of years off to study cultural anthropology and archeology at PSU, Ca

rolyn was quickly drawn back to Delphina's Bakery in 2004. Now the sole remaining owner, she has been busy learning to run a company; they now have a staff of over 50 employees, and Carolyn credits those employees as well as her son, friends, and family, with the success of her business.

"I've learned a lot from trial by fire. I've made my share of mistakes and wondered on some days if I had what it takes to do this job, but I have a great team of employees, a supportive and loyal customer base, and I love this business. It's our goal every day to make the highest quality of breads and pastries, and I don't let my employees forget this. So that's what we do every day - one day at a time."

Portlanders have been buying breads and pastries from Delphina's Bakery for over 25 years, and the bread is still made by hand as it was in 1983 when the first loaves were made for dinner guests in the kitchen of what once was Delphina's Restaurant. As Portland's oldest artisan bakery, Delphina's is committed to making everything from scratch without the use of artificial or chemical preservatives.

Delphina's is located near the Hollywood district, just eight blocks north of Fremont on NE 42nd and Wygant. Carolyn enjoys the HFM shoppers and vendors, and loves "to put a baguette or croissant, freshly baked that morning, into someone's hands - knowing it will be on their table that very same day - if it makes it all the way home."

As for changes at Delphina's, they are working on creating more vegan pastries. Most of their breads are already vegan, and they presently offer a Banana Walnut Tea Cake that is a favorite for vegans and non-vegans alike. Their caf� also serves a scrumptious vegan roasted vegetable and hummus sandwich.

What is Carolyn most proud of? Besides her six children, Carolyn is most proud of the smile on an employee's face when he or she first learns to perfect the cuts on a French baguette or the flaky layers in a buttery croissant.

"I love the thought that every day all over Portland someone has taken home something we made, and put it on the table to be a part of their next meal experience."