Julie Barker was born and raised in Portland, Oregon.  She went to business college after high school and became a secretary for Pacific Power.  After a few years in the business world, Julie realized that an office job was not for her and started working at a local restaurant.  After two years serving and bartending, she decided to “get away from it all,” and headed down to Cannon Beach where she continued to work in the foodservice business.

When her son Danny was just a year old, Julie bought a small restaurant in Manzanita which came to be called the Blue Sky Café.  She thought as an owner she’d have it easy and just have to make sure her guests were happy and staff managed.  She quickly learned that in the restaurant biz, that’s never the case, and ultimately did every job that had to get done.

But as people in her kitchen moved on, Julie worked more and more in the kitchen, and eventually that’s where she stayed. After 16 years, Julie sold the Blue Sky to one of her partners and opened up a bakery and catering business down the street. Things didn’t go so well for the new owners of the old cafe, and when it closed, Julie was invited to return.

Since the space was larger, Julie decided to move back, and that’s where her Bread and Ocean Bakery/Deli/Catering (www.breadandocean.com) thrives today, serving breakfast and lunch daily.

Julie has always loved food (as a kid she even ate chicken livers!) and says her Czechoslovakian grandmother was her inspiration. She fondly remembers the egg noodles draped over the backs of the chairs around the kitchen table and loved her grandmother’s delicious kolachy (sweet yeast rolls).  Unlike her grandmother, though, Julie’s food is primarily Asian and Mediterranean-inspired, as you can see from her menu.

Julie learned how to cook from cookbooks and magazines and still devours them today.  Her son Danny is a server here at Mother’s and is the one who nominated her for the Mother of the Month (M.O.M.).  He is so proud of her and her accomplishments.  He tells us, “not only is Julie a wonderful chef, she’s an even better mother. To be a single mother and make the time to run a successful business at the coast for over 16 years just shows what an amazing person she is, and I am so grateful to have her as my mother.”

Taste her food, and you’d wish she was your mother, too!

 

M.O.M. Menu

Lunch

Caprese Salad

fresh house-made mozzarella cheese, local tomatoes, julienne basil, balsamic reduction & olive oi

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

served open-faced on grilled country bread with parsley pesto, smoked mozzarella cheese & grilled tomatoes, served with pasta salad

Dinner

Thai Peanut Chicken

Danny’s favorite dish, sautéed chicken breast & broccoli in peanut sauce (with coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, peanuts, herbs & spices), served with jasmine rice, topped with green onions & carrots

Redfish Palermo

red snapper baked in parchment with sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, feta cheese, extra virgin olive oil, roasted fresh fennel, artichoke hearts, ouzo, fresh oregano & basil, served with creamy lemon polenta

Dessert

Mango Cheesecake

topped with fresh mango, in a coconut-macadamia nut crust

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