A childhood stitched together by those special mornings made Sunday pastries a tradition I have stubbornly refused to let fade away, so when the sole weekend bakery on San Juan Island closed, I decided to take it upon myself to make laminated dough.

At home. By hand.

Like an idiot.

Seven tries later I wound up with something that both tasted and looked vaguely like a croissant, and in the process I had befriended other local pastry enthusiasts by essentially forcing them to eat my mistakes. Word spread (as word on this island so often does) and eventually weekend pastries for me became weekend pastries for many, many more people. We did a pop-up, made an appearance at the farmer’s market, and before we knew it, we had built an entire restaurant on the back of butter and flour.

I am, unfortunately, not a person who is in a position to move their life to bakery hours full-time. I have a husband, and a home, and I enjoy experiencing both of them in daylight from time to time. But now, for one day every week, I get to set my alarm, wake up in the dark, and dutifully make an old, familiar pilgrimage.

Little Table pastries are available at Walden on Sunday mornings from 9am-12pm (or sellout). They are first-come, first-served, and are for take-away only (largely due to crumbs. Crumbs EVERYWHERE). We offer a full menu of laminated pastries as well as drip coffee from Third House, roasted locally on the island.

We look forward to welcoming you soon.