Nice Shooting, Tex!! Ms. Katie Hill is Irwin's Photo Contest winner!

This photo gem was taken on a sunny, August day and just as our good buddy and fellow Irwinite, Theresa was leaving us, Colorado-bound. Sam, Katie and Theresa all smiles as they just finished a most delicious pastry, here in Irwin's Wallingford. Also, included in the window of the shop, you can spy Seattle's favorite, honest mechanic, John Giovine. Rain or shine, all you need is a little, tasty pastry and Irwin's is just the place to share a special moment with someone you love!

"The frustrations, comedies and adventures of life, all narrated by the individual characters, created by Aaron Winnenberg."

Irwin's own Scone and Cookie Artisan and Banana Bread Baker, Aaron Winnenberg is our Artist for April!

Aaron is no stranger to showing in Seattle. You might recognize his work as he is showing all over town these days in streets and shops alike. Recently, Central Circuit featured Aaron's "Larry Walters" on the cover and shared a bit about his characters in the interview within. He has also been published in Carpaccio Magazine, and you can find him in Juxtapoz online!

Aaron's characters are calm under pressure, always pensive and problem solving. His characters find themselves in various unfortunate, surreal surroundings, yet they are at peace with the chasm to cross, the solid ground to find, or even searching for the light in the darkness. His work seems to depict feelings of struggle and loss, while staying playful, hopeful and always light.

You can find Aaron's characters on the walls of Irwin's Wallingford and in the windows of Irwin's Greenlake until May, and always on the interweb @ www.aaronwinnenberg.com.

Irwin's Community Photo Contest

What thing, person*, memory, or item do YOU love or find interesting when you come to Irwin's??
In the first of what will be many community challenge events, we present to you the Irwin's Community Photo Contest.

We invite patrons (and future patrons!) at all of our locations (including the soon-to-open Greenlake shop) to submit photos of your Irwin's experience!

The idea: We're collecting pictures of Irwin's- inside or out! We hope to capture our customer's experience- things they may love or find interesting (or just photographable!) about our cafes or their time spent in them.

All photos will be compiled, posted to our facebook page, and juried. The winner will receive a free specialty food item of their choice (be it slice of pie, cookie, slice of cake, gooey cinnimon roll, salad, sandwich, breakfast or lunch item, whatever they may crave), their picture will be displayed in the shop, AND we'll post an interview with the winning artist or writeup about the winning photo on our blog.

Rules:
The most important rule: Be respectful- Ask PERMISSION of any and all people who may be included in your shot.
Submit images to Cara at our Wallingford location, send as a facebook message, or email to: irwinsbakery@gmail.com (all photos must be sent electronically or submitted physically to our staff. For the duration of this contest, all photo wall posts will be disabled on our facebook page)
Photo image quality will not be a factor in determining the winner. Cellphone cameras, pinhole photography, polaroids, DSLRs... all types welcome!
Submissions will be accepted through Thursday, March 31st.
Have fun, get creative! We look forward to seeing our shops through the lens of our community!

*again, Ask PERMISSION of any and all people who may be included in your shot!!

Irwin's Bakery Coming Soon to Greenlake!!

Some of you may have heard the rumor that Irwin's is opening a new location at Greenlake, and its totally true!
Located at 301 NE 65th Street, right at the corner of 65th and Latona, Irwin's Greenlake will be our 3rd shop and we are enthusiastic to share an open date of mid-April!
Irwin's Greenlake will feature all the favorites from our Wallingford shop and Hydro House, while also focusing on a splendid lunch menu and additional dessert offerings for the later evening crowds.
Stay tuned for progress reports and photos of the new location and check out this great blast from the past photo!

Gregg Keplinger’s Striking Acoustic Sculpture

As February flashes into March, its time to switch up the art in the shop and Gregg Keplinger’s handcrafted instruments are just the way to jazz things up for Spring!

Many of us at Irwin’s know Gregg for his favorite table, his single macciato, banana bread and his witty sense of humor, but we are very excited to be showing off a selection of his hand hammered and beautiful instruments! Gregg is a drummer and drum maker by trade and has made quite an impression in Seattle’s music scene, time and time again.

Come in and check out his beautiful instruments on display in the shop! Prices range from $90 for smaller works, $130 for the medium sized pieces and $200 for the largest work. You can purchase pieces through Gregg, or let Cara know and I will pass the info on to Gregg!

Also, check out his website @ www.greggkeplinger.com

New Sandwiches at Irwin’s!

We are spicing lunch up a bit for these chilly February days.
Gwen has been perfecting some new, gourmet sandwiches for your enjoyment and they will all be ready soon, but stop in for a sneak preview taste this week!

Today or tomorrow, try our Roast Beef and Swiss Ciabatta.
Stacked with roast beef, Swiss cheese, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, horseradish and mayo, this is surely the perfect sandwich to warm you up!

Also, try the Greek Veggie/Vegan sandwich, piled high with hummus, olive tepenade, zucchini, red bell pepper, Roma tomatoes, spinach, red onion and a splash of red wine vinaigrette. Add Feta to make it betta, or keep it pure for Vegan Style!

Keep your eyes peeled for new favorites like Ham and PepperJack, Chicken Gorgonzola and The Greek Chicken coming soon to the menu!

Cherry Pie Time

It’s Cherry Pie season at Irwin’s Bakery!
For Presidents' day, Rachel has been baking up Cherry Pies!
Irwin’s famous, buttery pie crust packed with sweet, tart cherries and sweetened with just a bit of sugar, this is the perfect way to celebrate your afternoon!
Try a slice warmed with whipped cream and enjoy! Mmmmmmmm…
And on Monday, February 21st, Irwin’s will also have Petite Cherry Pies available to celebrate the holiday on the go, or for those just looking for a Cherry Pie bite!