Where food comes from is just as important as how it tastes. And when things are freshly-made and locally-sourced, they often both taste better and are better for you. In light of SpoonFest coming up this Friday, May 20 (get hype!), Spoon wants you to know about all the amazing food from local vendors that will be coming to campus just for you.
I got the chance to meet with Mikaylo Kelly, a baker at Great Harvest Bread Company. We chatted about Great Harvest’s products, what they stand for and what makes them special.
Photo by Ally Mark
Spoon: Who started Great Harvest Bread Co.?
Mikaylo: I wish I could answer that. Some guys out in Montana, sadly I don’t know their names.
Spoon: What makes Great Harvest special?
Mikaylo: Great Harvest is a franchise. There are places all over the country, but what’s unique is that each one mills its own wheat. Great Harvest central only really supplies the wheat berries and signs. Other than that there’s a lot of freedom to create any kind of bread. For example, last year I made a sprouted wheat bread recipe and we just started making and selling that. There’s a lot of freedom in that sense.
Photo by Ally Mark
Spoon: What kinds of products does Great Harvest sell?
Mikaylo: We mainly focus on bread, since we mill our own flour which is really unheard of nowadays. Other bakers and I run the small mill at the shop. Our main products are our loaves of bread, but we are famous for our scones and we make other treats like savannah bars and specialty breads like focaccia with cheese.
Photo by Ally Mark
Spoon: What is your favorite item on the menu?
Mikaylo: I’m liking our sourdough these days. It’s been getting really good. We just started making it a couple years ago, but it wasn’t too popular back then. We brought it back this last year, and it’s been really good lately. That and the muffins, always a go-to. I love muffins.
Spoon: Where can we get our hands on some of your stuff?
Mikaylo: At Great Harvest Bread Company! It’s on Central street, about 2 blocks west of Greenbay road. We also sell our scones at Coffee Lab on Noyes, and we will be at SpoonFest on May 20, 2016.
Photo by Ally Mark
Spoon: What are Great Harvest’s future plans? Any expansions, etc.?
Mikaylo: Not really. Right now we are just doing what we do best, making bread. We might be planting a rooftop vegetable garden at the store in the near future which would be really cool, but besides that I don’t know of any expansions.
Spoon: Anything else you think students should know about your company?
Mikaylo: Bread is good, good bread is good, and support local businesses! We support tons of local youth – lots of Evanston high schoolers work at the shop. It’s awesome because then they can make money and spend it down the street and continue supporting the local economy.
Photo by Ally Mark
Don’t forget to check out SpoonFest! Deering Meadow, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 20, 2016.