Photography by Frank Barnett

Of course hunters and fishermen are used to getting up while it’s still pitch black outside, but those of us who can’t imagine getting out of bed before the sun is up can only
marvel at someone like Pascal Tisseur, who arrives at La Petite Provence in southeast
Portland, Oregon, each morning around 5 a.m. to start baking, among other things, the cheese brioche with which I start most mornings.

By the time I arrived with my assistant at 6:30 to start shooting the accompanying photographs, the wholesale orders baked in the wee hours of the morning had been carefully packed for delivery. Crusty loaves and fragrant baguettes were bound for restaurants and coffee shops throughout metro Portland.
“French restaurant” still means white linen tablecloths and sauce Béarnaise to some of us, but the 21st century version is likely to be a friendly bistro where business breakfasts take place right next to mothers with children in tow. While writing about coffee (“The Beverage of Commerce”) several issues ago, it occurred to me that coffee was only part of the story. The old breakfast staples, coffee and a doughnut, have been replaced by trendy and tasty cappuccino and croissants.

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