Askatu Bakery

Askatu Bakery (sometimes Askatu Bakery and Cafe) is a Latino- and woman-owned bakery in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington. As an "allergen-free" bakery, Askatu offers gluten-free and vegan options, and avoids eggs, nuts, and wheat. Established by Estela Martinez in 2019, the business has also been a vendor at the farmers' market in the University District. Askatu has garnered a positive reception.

Description
The Latino- and woman-owned bakery is located in downtown Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. Noms magazine says the cafe offers a "unique blend of Basque and American" pastries, as well as coffee and tea. The menu included breads, cakes, cookies, mooncakes (golden ube, pandan coconut, and red bean varieties), and other pastries. Askatu is known for its gluten-free options and avoids use of xanthan or guar gums. KNKX has described the business as an "allergen-free" bakery which avoids eggs, nuts, and wheat. Mooncakes are imprinted with one of four stamps with different designs. The menu has also included jackfruit-vegetable bao, cinnamon rolls, and hamantaschen. Seattle's Child magazine has said Askatu is "free of the top nine allergens".

The Seattle Metropolitan has described the business as "inherently" vegan and a "thriving, if small ... cornerstone of intentional baking". The magazine said the owner "uses mainly earth-friendly ancient grain as the base for all of their baked goods including several varieties of sorghum and millet. These grains are drought tolerant and require much less water and chemicals to grow, making for delicious earth and allergy-friendly treats."

Askatu is associated with Liberated Foods by the same owner. In 2021, Lindsey Kirschman of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said the bakery "doles out goods alongside Liberated Foods, LLC, a minority- and woman-owned small business that specializes in making allergen-free baked goods and mixes to order. From the elimination of wheat, dairy, soy and eggs to nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish, corn, rice, yeast and potatoes, the company strives to create equally tasty goods without the allergens."

History


Askatu is owned by head baker Estela Marie Degr Martinez, who initially operated the business at farmers' markets in 2015, and later opened a brick and mortar bakery in October 2019. She focused on allergen-free foods because of her family members with food allergies. Upon learning about her daughter's allergies, "Martinez got right to work, buying up all the ingredients her daughter could eat and blending them into baked goods, tinkering until she cracked the code on wonderful cookies, brownies, cakes and even a peanut butter-like substitute", according to Jackie Varriano of The Seattle Times. Martinez also owns the affiliated company Liberated Foods, which she started following some encouragement from her daughter's classmate's mother. Liberated Foods also specializes in allergen-friendly baked goods and breads.

Askatu has been a vendor at the farmers' market in the University District. According to the Seattle Metropolitan, Askatu is "EnviroStars-certified, a City of Seattle program that recognizes green businesses and provides free sustainability tools and resources". The bakery is part of the Intentionalist network, which seeks to increase awareness of minority-owned small businesses in the region.

In 2022, Askatu Bakery was a vendor at the United Way of King County's first annual barbecue festival. The business also provided lunches for immunocompromised nurses at vaccination clinics. In 2023, Martinez estimated that as much as 85 percent of foot traffic to Askatu is Amazon employees.

Askatu has participated in Seattle Restaurant Week. In 2023, the business participated in the Downtown Renton Chocolate Crawl.

Reception
Lindsey Kirschman included the bakery in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer 's 2021 list of the 14 best confectioneries in Seattle for holiday sweets and treats. In 2022, Sabra Boyd of Eater Seattle wrote, "Askatu's gluten-free baguettes boast a crunchy Maillard crust and beautiful crumb when sliced; a precise mix of proteins create the texture that every nostalgic celiac or gluten-intolerant person longs for. (This might sound like over-the-top praise, but for many, life without bread can feel limiting.)" Boyd, Dylan Joffe, and Maggy Lehmicke included the bakery in a 2022 overview of "where to eat fantastic gluten-free food in Seattle", and Harry Cheadle included Askatu in Eater Seattle 's 2023 list of 18 of the city's "most perfect" bakeries. Noms magazine included Askatu in a 2023 list of Seattle's twelve best bakeries.