When I was a kid growing up in North Seattle, we used to make the 45 minute-trek down to the Rainier Valley just to visit Borracchini's Bakery for every birthday cake. Their bakery featured the latest technology at the time: we could bring in a picture from anywhere, have them project it on the cake, and watch as their expert decorators transferred the image onto the frosting. We were mesmerized. My parents kept returning because of the fresh cakes and delicious whip-cream frosting. We just thought it was extremely cool.
Now that I'm older, I still visit for their gourmet cakes, and to support a local business. They are the last vestige of an all-Italian-farmland Rainier Valley that quickly changed due to white flight in the 60's and 70's. Remo didn't see any reason to leave, and so still runs his store featuring fresh homemade Italian foods, ice creams, an astounding variety of baked goods, and of course, their consistent cakes.
Their other food (besides the ice cream and pasta sauce) rarely lives up to the status of their cakes, but it's worth a try. The cakes are easy to order day-of or online, and it's such a pleasure to support a long-standing tradition in South Seattle.
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