Make, Bake, and Break Bread with Field & Fire

WRITTEN BY JORDAN KOSSUTH

*Photo by Stacy Feyer, Salo Photography – Courtesy of Field & Fire*

Shelby & Julie Kibler opened Field & Fire in the Downtown Market in August 2013, focusing on organic grains, local ingredients, and wood-fired sourdough bread. Before Field & Fire, Shelby, a West Michigan local, was managing Zingerman’s Baking School in Ann Arbor, MI. He actually met his wife, Julie, when she came in for a baking class. Julie Kibler is a Bowling Green State University graduate from North Central Ohio with a background in higher education and graphic design – skills she surely put to work when designing their logo and branding, as well as growing their social media and educational materials.

Their flagship loaf is their Levain, a french-style sourdough developed from Shelby’s vast baking experience which serves as the base for a lot of their loaves – including the Righteous Seed. This sourdough loaf contains sea salt and four types of seeds – sesame, black sesame, poppy, and fennel – both rolled around on the outside and within the loaf itself.

BREAD YOU CAN FEEL GOOD ABOUT EATING

The vision behind Field & Fire is to produce the most healthful flavorful bread possible, and they do so by fermenting grains slowly for up to three days to draw out their flavor and enhance nutritional value. The result is baked goods that are healthier and easier to digest than those made with a ton of yeast or high gluten flour.

“We’ve actually had customers come into the bakery and tell us their doctors said if they were going to eat bread, they should eat our bread,” Julie jokes. Field & Fire also provides bread to Spectrum Health’s Market Café, located in Butterworth Hospital in downtown Grand Rapids.

Most of their breads are vegan, as only a few contain dairy products like egg or butter, and they also have a variety of gluten free options – including their delicious Double Chocolate Muffin. Another standout is Daniel’s Gluten Free Sourdough, a 100% whole grain loaf not leavened with yeast. The recipe was created by Daniel (obviously) – a baker from India that Shelby met during his time at Zingerman’s.

CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN THE FIELD & THE FIRE

Field & Fire have spent the last 8 years developing relationships with local farms in the area. They utilize all organic dairy products, grains, and flours. A large portion of their organic grains are grown especially for Field & Fire at Melody Bee Farms in Ada. These grains are then stone milled into flour in-house. Most of their meat products are sourced from Grand Rapid’s own Louise Earl Butcher.

Julie’s all-time favorite croissant is their Ham & Cheese, baked fresh daily with ham from Jakes Country Meats, a free-range farm they’ve personally visited that is dedicated to humane practices, allowing the animals to forage for grains grown on the property. Field & Fire continues to be committed to connecting with the local food system, and providing goods baked with intention and care.

FIELD & FIRE CAFÉ

Following the success of their bakery at the Downtown Market, Shelby & Julie knew that they wanted to expand their brand and start serving more food. When they got a cold call from a realtor about space in a building downtown, everything fell into place, and they opened their café location at 820 Monroe Ave NW Suite 100 expanding into even more delicious organic and locally sourced foods.

All their breads and buns are baked at the Downtown Market, while all pastries are made at the café location, so there’s quite a bit of product moving back and forth every day. In one month alone, they sold 547 loaves of levain, along with almost 3,200 croissants.

“Our pastry case at the café has never gotten the attention it deserves,” laughs Julie. Their pastry chef, Jennifer Han, has been working with them for about a year, baking mouthwatering cheesecakes, cruffins, and any kind of tart you can imagine.

Field & Fire Café also bakes fresh gluten free macarons. On a typical day, you’ll find a chocolate, vanilla and coffee flavor along with rotating seasonal flavors like cranberry and peppermint. Other season specialty items include decorated sugar cookies, a Buche de Noel (commonly called a Yule Log) made with rich chocolate cake, hazelnut cream, and chocolate frosting, and their Stollen. Stollen is a rooted holiday bread made with almonds, hazelnuts, and candied dried fruit guaranteed to be a hit at your holiday gatherings.

With so many amazing offerings, we had to know what Julie usually eats while working in the café to get an idea of where to start!

Resolution Bowl – A vegan & gluten free bowl made with grilled tempeh, organic quinoa, kale, pickled onion, tomato, pistachios, avocado and a garlicky verde sauce.
Curry Caesar Salad – This top-notch blend of greens is served with a creamy house-made curry Caesar dressing, topped with shredded parmesan, and covered in croutons made from their own fresh baked baguettes.

Another popular item is a ramen made by their original sous chef for weekend brunch specials, with handmade noodles, house made broth, eggs from Melody Bee Farm, and pork from Louise Earl Butcher. In fact, it’s not uncommon for staff to contribute recipes and ideas to their rotating specials at the cafe.

Currently there are about 20 staff members at each location – including Shelby & Julie. Field & Fire is a family-oriented business, and they continue to strive to offer decent wages, flexible schedules, and cultivate a friendly environment. The café closes at 3 p.m. daily, so staff can get home to dinner with their families.

FRESH BAKED & HAND-DELIVERED TO BRIDGE STREET MARKET

Julie & Shelby had previously resisted partnering with larger grocery stores, as they didn’t want to be a fully commercial bakery, but when Bridge Street Market reached out to them sourcing local vendors to feature, they saw it as a great fit. “We were inspired by their belief in Field & Fire and our ability to be successful there.”

Field & Fire provides fresh baked breads, croissants, cookies and other delicious baked goods to Bridge Street Market every single day of the week.

Some of their standout items include:

Breads – You can find all their staples in store, including their levain, ciabatta, miche, and spelt
Croissants – We’re biased towards the ham & cheese, but why limit yourself? You’ll find a variety including butter, spinach & feta, and Pain au Chocolat – made with dark milk chocolate.
Cookies – Rotating seasonal options, along with their Hippie cookie – made with Belgian chocolate, coconut, almond, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, maple syrup, raisins, and honey – and a vegan chia lemon cookie.
Muffins – Run – don’t walk – to try their Double Chocolate Muffin! This masterpiece is gluten free and vegan friendly.
Cruffins – Because the only way to improve on a muffin is to combine it with a croissant and fill it with something even sweeter.

GIVING BACK TO GRAND RAPIDS

At the end of the day, they pick up anything that hasn’t sold, and donate these items through their bakery location. They have a rotating schedule of local food pantries and non-profit organizations who come to pick up these donations, such as L.O.V.E (Let Our Voices Echo), and John Knox Community Food Pantry.

The Field & Fire team are always working to be better stewards of the earth, and this is just one of the ways they give back to their community. Another is through donations – in November 2021, Field & Fire donated a percentage of profits to Grand Rapids Red Project, GR Center for Community Transformation, and MIEC (Michigan Indian Education Council).

FIELD & FIRE

Online orders from Field & Fire cafe can be placed through their website, and they continue to offer curbside pickup. They also offer a variety of catering options, including boxed lunches and a breakfast pastry spread. And if you’re looking for a unique lunch option, stop by the bakery location for their Detroit-style cheese or pepperoni pizza.

Next time you’re at Bridge Street Market, be sure to check out the selection from Field & Fire, baked goods you can feel good about eating!