Halls’ Kitchen Bread Text by ANDIE TETZLAFF
Art by SAMANTHA HO
PALY SIBLINGS OPEN BAKERY IN QUARANTINE
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HE COMFORTING aroma of freshly baked bread fills the busy kitchen of Palo Alto High School senior Dean Hall’s home as he takes a fresh sourdough boule out of the oven. Bowls and cooking utensils are spread across the countertop as Hall slices the loaf on a beat-up cutting board, before bundling it into his signature yellow bag. This is how Hall describes his typical baking process. Back in December, Hall and his sister, Sabrina Hall (Class of `18), started Halls’ Kitchen, a homebased business selling delicious bread, cookies, bagels and more. The Halls began baking more frequently over the past year of quarantine. Eventually, they decided to put their baking skills to use and make a profit from it. The Halls have a wide variety of menu items, starting with their most popular item, the sourdough boule ($10). This loaf of bread offers a nice crunch on the outside while the insides are soft and warm. These make perfect slices for grilled cheese, or for a quick and easy buttered toast with a sweet jam. Next up are their chocolate chip cookies ($2 each).
28 APRIL 2021
These cookies are hard to beat, with their gooey melted chocolate insides and sprinkles of sea salt on top. “What’s better than warm Halls’ Kitchen chocolate chip cookies on a cold rainy day? Not a single thing,” the Halls wrote in an Instagram caption. The bagels are
also a must-have. Customers can choose from three different flavors: sesame, everything seed or plain. For only $6 for half a dozen, this is quite a deal. Toast them up, spread some cream cheese or peanut butter, and you have yourself a delicious breakfast item or snack. While these are their most popular items, the Halls also bake fresh focaccia slices ($5) and hearty gluten-free, vegan granola ($10 per jar). Over winter break, both of the Halls worked together in baking all of these delicious goods, but since Sabrina Hall is a college student, she returned back to campus after New Year’s. Dean Hall will continue to run the show on his own until she returns home. This side job is time-consuming, and challenges Dean Hall who juggles all sorts of activities including baking, baseball and continuing his senior year studies. While it does take a good portion of time out of his days, he says it’s worth it. “I’ve learned to balance my time well; we came up with a schedule for our bakery which aligns well with my other extracurriculars,” Dean Hall said. “We take in orders from the start of the week to the upcoming Thursday, and throughout the weekend we begin baking and we drive around delivering the goods.” More recently, Halls’ Kitchen donated their profits to RAINN, an anti-sexual violence organization that works to support sexual assault survivors nationwide. The Halls decided to donate 100% of the proceeds made for one week to
