This article appears in print in the November 2019 issue. Click here to subscribe.

Alessandra Gordon’s shokupan, or Japanese milk bread, is so good that neighborhood kids save their allowance to buy a slice ($6) from her Ayako & Family booth at local farmers markets. Gordon’s mother is responsible for Ayako’s local fame, drawing customers with her sweet-tart plum jam, made from heritage and hybrid varieties. When Gordon took over and started selling at the year-round Ballard and U-District farmers markets in 2017, she added shokupan to their offerings. She says it’s a taste from her childhood in Japan. I say it’s a perfectly simple comfort food for all ages: thick-cut slices, buttered and griddled to order, topped with your choice of jam (get the exceptional damson plum). Saturdays at the University District Farmers Market, Sundays at the Ballard Farmers Market.