The Fates Bread & Bottle Co Will Open in Sellwood

A new “wine shoppe + veg-forward eatery” is opening soon in Sellwood-Moreland called The Fates Bread & Bottle Co. They will take over the space that was formerly occupied by Maeve, which closed on September 28. I reached out to owner Chanelle Sinclair to learn more, but was unable to connect. Here is what I know now.

A Bread Background

Cheverything Bread. Photo credit: The Fates Bread & Bottle Co

The Fates Bread & Bottle Co originally started out as The Fates Bread Co. in Phoenix, AZ in 2022. Run by Chanelle Sinclair, this small bakery business created what the Phoenix New Times called “Instagram-ready breads.” She baked much of her bread in a Dutch oven, a technique that she learned from her mom. It is a very approachable way to bake crusty loaves, and became particularly popular during the COVID pandemic when sourdough was a pastime for many.

So Chanelle was able to turn what is often considered to be a home baking practice into a commercial success, and people in Phoenix could not get enough of her bread. She started with a bread she called “the Basic B!tch,” made with the basics of flour, yeast, and salt. As she continued with her baking practice she developed other flavor combinations, including:

Rosemary’s Other Baby: rosemary, caramelized onions, garlic confit, black pepper, and Maldon sea salt.
Cheveverything: Tillamook extra sharp cheddar and everything bagel seasoning.
The Garfunkel: This is essentially an herbed holiday stuffing in bread form with onion, celery, garlic, parsley, fried sage, rosemary, and thyme. Ingenious.
A variety of focaccias, including Cacio e pépé, salted rosemary, Italian herb, and “The MC,” which is a mix of black garlic, Calabrian chile, shallot, and rosemary.

She ended doing a variety of pop-ups in Phoenix, too, including a series featuring her very popular grilled cheese sandwiches. A supper club operated via The Fates, too.

About Chanelle Sinclair

Chanelle Sinclair, owner and operator of The Fates Bread & Bottle Co in Portland, Oregon. — Chanelle Sinclair. Photo credit: @rob_uses_the_force on Instagram

Chanelle is an Arizona native and had a love of making food from an early age. As a kid she read cookbooks for fun, and also loved taking photographs of the things she prepared to eat. So it’s probably no surprise to hear that as far back as the year 2000, she started a food blog, showcasing her recipes and food.

Over the years she has worn many hats: chef, barista, photographer, social media manager, much of it self-taught. She’s also a mom with two kids, and from what I can tell is pretty much on the optimist side of the spectrum. On her website she writes, “Need a hug? A quiet place to read a book, enjoy a date or write your next novel? I got you.” She sounds like someone I’d like to know.

More on The Fates Bread & Bottle Co.

Chanelle will, of course, bring her artisan breads to the table, including focaccia and her lauded Dutch oven loaves. Here are some other things she hopes to include at The Fates:

Vegetarian-focused small bar bites made with local and seasonal produce—one example is her “bar snak” that is a spicy riff on Chex Mix, made with ramen and chili crisp.
An intimate wine and bottle list (in house and retail).
Curated craft cocktails.
Local and seasonal goods.

She also has aspirational goals at this women owned and operated space: good music, great vibes, and a safe space for those who need it. As she says, “all from the heART: sip, savour, stay a while.”

Look for a return of her supper club, too. She also plans to use the patio to the best of its ability.

There’s a quote on her website that expresses Chanelle’s mission and philosophy for The Fates Bread & Bottle Co: “I have a passion for nurturing people with the food I create and time spent around a table together. It’s priceless, and so important to pause and savour the gift of community.”

At this point she is putting the space together, hard at work doing things like “organizing and reworking things in the shop and also running around town sourcing table legs, old chairs, wallpaper scoring tools, admin, more to-dos than minutes in the day.” It looks like she is aiming for a late fall 2024 opening. And when they do open, you can head there Wednesdays to Sundays, 2pm to 9pm.

I hope to connect with Chanelle and will update this article when any helpful new details I learn in that process. Best of luck to Chanelle as she works to bring The Fates Bread & Bottle Co. to the hungry Portland public!

The Fates Bread & Bottle Co. [projected opening late fall 2024]
6664 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland
The Fates website | Instagram | Facebook