Article in SE Examiner Newspaper:

At the beginning of the resurrection of Hawthorne Blvd. from a desolate three bar thoroughfare to the thriving city center it is today, one restaurant has remained at the forefront of the change, the Bread and Ink Cafe. Thirty two years ago four partners decided to open the restaurant: chef Gray Wolf, chef Pattie Hill, Sarah Laughlin, and Bruce Fishback, originally employees of Genoa.

The restaurant they envisioned would serve food that had the same quality as Genoa’s but more affordable to the people in the neighborhood. Over the years three of the partners went different ways but Bruce Fishback remained as anchor while the boulevard grew. In recent years he has expanded the restaurant to include his whole family with The Waffle Window.

After graduating from college, Fishback knew he wanted to do something independent rather than follow the dream offered by the corporate world. He began a small bakery with his brother making baguettes, his first foray into the world of the restaurateur. Change in youth is inevitable and when the bakery folded, Fishback went to work as a server at Genoa.

When Bread and Ink Cafe first opened they only breakfast and lunch was served. During these early years, they offered a four course Yiddish brunch featuring bagels, bialys, strudel, smoked fish, eggs, lox, onions, blintzes – traditional food that satisfied many of the people living in the neighborhood. When they expanded their hours to serve dinner, the menu became more Mediterranean/French country food and has continued to evolve since then.

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