|
We left the Senior Center this morning at 9:45 to go to the Bakery Tour at Franz Bakery in downtown Seattle. It was different because this location only makes the bread and nothing else. The building and everything else covers more than one whole block. It was certainly like being back at Ralphs. This bakery was built in 1952 and they're still using it except they have a couple of pieces of new machinery. Everything else seemed to be the same as at Ralphs except they get their flour 3 times a week by rail car and have it put directly into the flour bins in the bakery.
The gal gave us all the stats but I can't remember how much bread they make - it's astounding when you hear the figures. We got to watch a batch of bread come out of the mixer, into the rolling bin and lifted up into the part that makes each loaf of bread. We were lucky enough to watch the bread from start to finish except different batches at different areas. Franz has another bakery over a few blocks that takes up 3 blocks but they don't allow tours and that's where the rest of their bakery products are made - the good kinds.
This bakery was started in the late 1800's by two German brothers in Portland OR and has kept growing ever since. They merged with another big bakery in the 1980's (I think that was when) but brought the Franz name with them. I will say that they make excellent bread and have extended their lines to include types of organic bread. I buy their Nine Grain bread all the time and it is full of visible grains. They have a bakery outlet on the opposite end of the building where we entered for the tour so Mick (driver) took us there before we went to lunch. Some people came out with sacks full of products.
When we left the bakery we went to lunch at Randy's Diner on the south end of Boeing Field (on Marginal Way) which wasn't too far from the Seattle Space Museum. The Diner was all set up clear in the back for all of us so we could sit together as we had reservations. The diner we went to is really nostalgic of WW II basically and they have all kinds of plane replicas hanging from the ceiling, even two German ones. I would guess that most of the plane lengths in there would be anywhere from 6 to 8 feet (not wing span). There are all kinds of model airplanes sitting all over everything. The food was good but we're not speaking of a five star restaurant.
A great time was had by all. We had a van bus (from the Senior Center) which holds 20 people plus the driver and it was full.
|
