About Us

When you start with nothing you’ve got a long ways to go.

Farm to Market Bread Company was born in the back of the Classic Cup restaurant in Westport in September of 1993. Back then we didn’t have much beyond our skill and an overwhelming passion for bread making, let alone money to pay our rent. But Charlene, the kind-hearted restaurant owner saw promise in what we were doing and let us pay our way with the artisan bread we were starting to make. Before long, we were selling our loaves for customers to take home, and our journey toward bread making heaven had begun.

Two years later we moved to Waldo and we’ve been bringing the smell of fresh-baked bread to that eclectic neighborhood we call home ever since. From supplying a few restaurants and a couple small stores, we’ve grown to become the best-known bread maker in the city. It’s been an incredible journey that we still love pursuing every day, because even though we’ve gotten bigger, the way we make our hand-crafted breads has never changed.  Simple, quality ingredients lovingly combined by hand and baked daily to be enjoyed fresh by the best customers in the land. Try any of our breads and we think you’ll agree – you can see, smell and taste the difference.

Mark Friend is the co-founder, president and bread master behind Farm To Market Bread Company. He received his formal training at both the San Francisco Baking Institute and the American Institute of Baking.

After moving to Kansas City in the late 1970s, he worked as a pastry chef at Crown Center. He then became head baker at La Bonne Bouche, the bakery and café where locals were first exposed to what real, fresh baked bread and pastries could be.

Finally, after a stint as production manager for Pacific Baking Company, he found his true calling and committed himself entirely to producing spectacular, fresh baked artisanal breads.

Mark is considered one of the nation’s leading experts on natural sour starters. He has lectured on sourdough at the American Institute of Baking, has been a presenter at many national conventions, and is a founding member of the Bread Baker’s Guild.