It all started with The Pandemic.

 

Remember back in March 2020 when everyone and their moms were suddenly baking bread?

City officials were telling us to stay at home to limit the spread of COVID-19, and as a result everyone started baking all sorts of bread in their kitchen. There was even a nation-wide yeast shortage.

One day I decided to hop on the bandwagon and make my own bread from scratch. My roommate Carol had made a ton of delicious bread and I figured I could too.

But unfortunately all I got out of it were two failed attempts.

The first batch resulted in clumpy, dry dough that was no good to bake, and the second batch came out as dense, subpar Japanese red bean buns but nothing light and fluffy like I had hoped for.

 
 
IMG_20200426_112502.jpg
IMG_20200426_131745.jpg
IMG_20200426_161516.jpg
 
 

That was the day I decided bread baking isn’t for me. But my appreciation for bakeries went through the roof.

 
 


I then thought about all the bakeries that San Francisco is known for.

How passionate these bakers must be to start their own businesses from scratch. And how challenging it must be for them to continue improving their craft, serving their loyal customers, supporting their staff, and staying afloat during this crazy year.

This inspired me to start a new project.

 
Progress+copy.jpg

SF Bakery Ride is a passion project that combines my love for lettering and cycling.

It’s an illustrative guide that features the best bakeries in San Francisco for our cycling community.

I created this guide for anyone who enjoys bike rides and eating delicious pastries.

 
 

I hope this guide inspires you to ride more bikes and discover YOUR NEXT FAVORITE BAKERY.

 
 

About the artist.

455A9CA0-AA57-4108-BA94-5307D3D74F0D.jpg

Hi, I’m Chie. 👋

I’m a lettering artist based in San Francisco who draws letters to inspire creativity and active living.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing clients including…

  • Outdoor Retailer

  • Lululemon

  • Facebook

  • Google

  • The Washington Post

When I’m not lettering you can find me outdoors training for triathlons, riding my bike up Hawk Hill, running along the Embarcadero, or shredding down the mountains with my snowboard in Tahoe.

 

Want to connect?

To learn more about me, you can visit my website or follow me on Instagram at @chie.tamada.
To get in touch, you can email me at hello@chietamada.com.