An Ode to the Milk Roll

Hi friends,

Spring is emerging: the days are getting longer, the light is staying later, and we're feeling grateful over here. No big announcements this week. Just a story we've been meaning to share with you.

If you've been to Bar Diane, you know the milk rolls. Half brioche, half Japanese milk loaf, entirely their own thing. When they show up at the table people lose their minds a little. But not everyone knows where they came from, so here goes.

Bar Diane opened in late September 2019. We had done a beautiful build-out. We had a great team. We were the first bar in the neighborhood pouring orange wine by the glass. It felt like we were really onto something.

And then, five and a half months later, the world stopped. March 17th, 2020. The shutdown hit Portland, and we were staring down a scary reality: payroll had just gone out, rent had just been paid, and there was about $300 left in the bank account.

So, we did what you do. We improvised.

A phone and a cellar full of wine turned out to be a pretty solid starting point. Friends bought bottles. Those friends told their friends. Soon people were Venmo-ing from their driveways while cases got loaded into their trunks. A website went up. Blind wine packs got named, with sincere affection, "Stretchy Pants" and "Fancy Pants." Revenue started trickling in.

When PPP funds came through, we were able to bring back a couple members of our kitchen crew. They started prototyping. Supply chains were a mess and you couldn't count on getting much of anything reliably. But we could count on the milk roll dough. It was consistent, it was cost-effective, and it turned out to be something really special.

The dough has evolved a lot since those early days, tweaked, refined, and perfected over time, but the spirit of it hasn't changed a bit.

A little dough born out of uncertainty that somehow became the thing people ask about most. We think about that a lot.

Thanks for being the kind of customers who make it worth fighting to keep the lights on. We'll see you soon.

With love & carbs,

xx