Super GemBudget GemChicago Exclusive GemDish Gem$Co-owner Ellen King came to bread sideways. She was studying historic preservation when she found a hand-hewn beam hidden inside the walls of an 18th-century house, and the word stuck with her when she traded preservation for food. She trained as a chef in Seattle, learned to bake in a wood-fired oven at a farm school and wrote the book Heritage Baking (Chronicle, 2018), and she runs the baking side with business partner Julie Matthei. The bread is naturally leavened sourdough, mixed, shaped and scored by hand from organic, stone-milled grains bought from local farmers. The country and blonde country loaves are baked daily, and the specialty loaves rotate on a schedule worth memorizing: caramelized onion rye on Thursday, challah and Picholine olive on Friday, Holmenkollen rye on Saturday and an "Evanston Red" on Sunday.
The pastry case runs to kouign amann, morning buns, sticky buns and almond croissants made with European butter. Hot sandwiches like the Cubano and a turkey avocado melt anchor lunch, and the coffee is Ruby. Hours are 7am to 5pm Tuesday through Friday and 7am to 3pm on weekends, closed Mondays. Baguettes land mid-morning, first come, first served. Parking is free on Sundays.
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