Table Talk | The Forgotten Grain Bakery & Bistro
Konr and Heather Willaims | Owners | 841B N Washington St. Auburn
When the owner lost her job during the pandemic, she and her husband took their stimulus checks and set their hopes on the region’s appetite for hearty, scratch-made breakfast. Now, The Forgotten Grain is whipping up beloved vintage recipes and hand-shaped bagels from its Auburn storefront.
TK interviewed Owner Heather Williams to learn more about the motivation behind the opening of The Forgotten Grain and its delicacies.
What inspired you to open your restaurant?
Growing up in Auburn, there was a lack of on-the-go breakfast food available until Auburn Apple Market opened in the late 1990s. When they closed in 2015, their absence left a gap because community members lost a place where they could gather and eat in the mornings and afternoons.
What unique flavors, dishes or experiences can customers expect?
When we expanded our square footage in 2023, we started offering cheddar chive biscuits with sausage gravy on Tuesday and Fridays. Our bread pudding is quickly becoming a sell-out, made from our rare, day-old cinnamon rolls that we cube and soak in a sweet egg custard. The farm-fresh eggs we use for our bread pudding come from Hidden Hills Farm right here in Auburn, offering the community the most authentic from-scratch dessert.
How have you navigated the challenges of launching a new restaurant?
Opening a new business right after COVID-19 was terrifying. My husband and I took our stimulus checks and invested in our business after I was let go from a salaried position in Topeka upon returning from maternity leave. To say that we took a financial gamble is putting it very mildly. I had to remind myself that regardless of how hopeless I felt after those early days, the sun would rise the next day and the community would still need a good breakfast. In the fall of 2023, we obtained our wholesale food manufacturing license and secured a few local contracts that allowed us to expand our restaurant, procure new equipment and hire a second employee.
What role do you hope your restaurant will play in this area’s growing food scene?
Our hope is that people will start to find more enjoyment again in eating older recipes that have been handed down over generations, or expand their tastebuds to try something inspired by a time when resources were scarce. For example, our bread pudding recipe from my maternal grandmother. Go wild and try one of our New York-inspired cheese bagels that are made by hand here at our bakery.
Can you share a personal story or moment from the restaurant’s opening that captures what makes this venture special to you?
Opening a business in my hometown was unlike any other experience. I was brought home as a newborn to a house right here on Washington Street, attended USD 437, spent years playing on the Auburn girls softball team, worked as a teenager at Auburn Apple Market and purchased my husband’s childhood home right on the outskirts of Auburn to raise a family. To then open The Forgotten Grain and have the honor of serving my community — the people I grew up with — is a very genuine, storybook ending to each day.
What makes The Forgotten Grain a great place to dine?
We are genuine here. My right hand man John Husman and I have worked together for almost 13 years now. He introduced me to my husband. Without John, this bakery may not have come to fruition. He and I work with his young daughter Cassie, who I’ve known since she was knee high. She is fresh out of culinary school and eager to learn. If you sit and eat with us you will definitely hear John cracking jokes, or you might be lucky enough to hear all three of us singing along to Disney radio while we shape bagels. It’s always good fun around here and we make sure people get to eat and relax — just like grandma did.
