Sea Wolf Bakers Have Big Plans For 2016

Kit and Jesse Schumann are painstakingly working towards their dream bakery, and they’re getting close. The two brothers have been working for the better part of a year on an undisclosed Fremont location, and although they haven’t signed a lease, they recently shared some exciting details about their upcoming education-based retail intentions. Described as a "secret weapon" in Renee Erickson’s ranks, the Schumanns are known for their grit, growing a wholesale clientele while baking out of cast iron pans in eight-loaf increments.

Now, after switching architects to Heliotrope and disputing their lease for months, the brothers are ready to move forward. Continuing in the spirit of their current residence teaching bread classes at the Book Larder, the brothers are excited to take ownership over the full potential of a flagship space, "definitely focused on the wholesale" but with a retail aspect allowing a greater range of opportunities for baking classes.

"We want to build a really open kitchen," says Kit. "a spot where we’re not baking bread behind a wall, behind a door." Since French bread-baking is well-represented around here, the brothers have founded Sea Wolf on a fresh approach to modern bread baking: "Interesting, not gimmicky — utilitarian, creative," describes Kit.

Its like our secret skill: we know how to make pastry, too

Expect bread-cheese pairings and a simple, elegant coffee program accompanied by a pastry spread with emphasis on the savory. "Its like our secret skill: we know how to make pastry, too," smiles Jesse, whose professional baking education lends credibility to Kit’s experience at a host of esteemed Seattle institutions including Le Pichet and Cafe Besalu.

So expect something different than the typical toast-slinging brunch destination. "There’s always a lot of temptation to become a bakery-cafe quickly," says Kit. "One thing we want to be careful about is sticking to bread and pastry, well and carefully." Get a taste of Sea Wolf bread for yourself at Fremont’s Vif, The Whale Wins, or Greenwood’s new Preserve and Gather or sign up for their upcoming sourdough class at the Book Larder, and hope for a Sea Wolf pop-up a la Coyle’s Bakeshop in the near feature. Stay tuned for updates.

—David Rothstein