Libertyville bakery adds old-fashioned flair to bread making

Ellen King, left, and Julie Matthei are co-owners of Hewn bakery, recognized by the Illinois Department of Tourism as an “Illinois Made” company.
Courtesy of John Lee

Ellen King only wanted to eat some good, wholesome bread. To her, it’s comfort food.

This simple desire led King and partner Julie Matthei to establish not one but, as of Thursday’s opening in Winnetka, three locations of Hewn bakery, which makes scratch-made breads, pastries and sandwiches.

Hewn’s daily dedication to hand-shaping and naturally fermenting its breads, without commercial yeast, preservatives or additives, and sourcing ingredients from Illinois farms has been recognized by the Illinois Department of Tourism, which lists the bakery among its roster of “Illinois Made” artisans.

Hewn first was inducted in 2017, the second year of the Illinois Made program, which as of November 2023 listed 276 makers. The program celebrates artisans, products and experiences unique to the state.

Hewn, which employs more than 30 people, was among the businesses included in the Illinois Made 2024 promotional material.

A “grab and go” bakery, goods are made at the Evanston location, 1733 Central St., with a curated selection of items available at stores at 348 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville; and now also at 894 Green Bay Road, Winnetka.

King and co-owner Matthei first opened Hewn in Evanston in 2013 and in Libertyville in 2023. King takes pride in being an “Illinois Maker.”

“For sure,” King said. “I mean, we are proud that we are making everything in the state of Illinois, and we (locally) source as much as we can. We’re very much an old-school bakery, making all our breads and pastries from scratch every day, using old techniques, relying on sourdough for all our breads.”

Hewn also has appeared in Food & Wine magazine articles for “The 100 Best Bakeries in America” (2020) and “The Best Bread in Every State” (2022).

King, who grew up in Naperville, studied history at the University of Maryland before learning culinary arts in Seattle. Studying abroad in Oslo, Norway, she was exposed to rye and seeded breads; she used wood-fired ovens to bake bread in Washington.

King’s varied interests and skill sets provide “a different lens” to view her craft, Matthei said.

Initially moving to Evanston in 2007, King said she “wanted to eat good bread.” Using the oven in her condominium, she started the “Underground Bread Club.” With her young son, she’d deliver homemade bread to customers, on bicycle.

“It was pretty labor-intensive and ridiculous,” King said.

Matthei became a customer after the women met at an Evanston preschool.

A product of Long Island, New York, Matthei moved here in 1994 with a master’s degree in school counseling. Before Hewn, she worked as a guidance counselor at Loyola Academy in Wilmette.

Matthei also was surprised at a lack of suburban authentic bread options — until the Underground Bread Club.

“When I had her bread I was like ‘Oh my gosh, this is great,’” Matthei said.

Given the challenge of baking large amounts of heritage bread out of her condo, then delivering it on bicycle while also raising a child, it was unsustainable. With Matthei’s urging, they created Hewn.

“I didn’t want to open a place because I knew what it meant,” King said. “I knew my life would become work, like all the time. But you know, I guess I’m a glutton for manual work.”

King heads the kitchen and Matthei runs the business aspects, though they will share duties.

“If you had told me several years ago I’d be doing this, I’d have thought you’d be crazy,” Matthei said.

Instead, it’s Hewn’s customers that are crazy for their product.

“I feel proud to be back in the state and to bring an old craft and work within our community,” King said. “We are very entrenched and connected to our customers.

“It was great to be selected by the Illinois Makers. We are a woman-owned business, and it was just Julie and I who started this, and we continue to run it and build it. We truly are local.”