Greg Sambrano was a 25-year-old baker when this photo was taken by Richard Heyza of the Seattle Times for an Oct. 8, 1982, feature story on Black Diamond. He hadn’t set out to become a baker, but one winter day heavy snows shut down his logging job so went to work at the Black Diamond Bakery. Sambrano’s Italian ancestors were steeped in the baking business. His great-grandfather, Stephano Vernarelli built an oven for his own Roma Bakery located on Favro Street just below the famous bakery where Greg worked. Stephano and his wife, Elizabeth fed miners bread and pasta in their home, and provided a wash house where the coal miners cleaned up after work. Greg’s great uncle, George Eipper once owned the Black Diamond Bakery and his grandma, Esther (Vernarelli) Babb worked beside him during his two-year stint there. The Black Diamond Bakery opened for business in 1902 and is one of the longest operating businesses in Washington.
Each day at noon, a half cord of word was fired up, and burned for eight hours until reaching 1,500 degrees. The oven then cooled to a temperature of 500 degrees, by the time Greg started each morning at 2 am to bake the bread and pastries. He typically finished his shift by 10 or 11 a.m., often working beside the owner, Wally Smith and his son, Doug Smith. Back then, the bakery closed when the last loaf of bread was sold, usually around noon. Greg also played on the Black Diamond Merchants softball team sponsored by the Bakery, sometimes getting off early to make a Saturday or Sunday game. Today, Sambrano lives in Castle Rock and works construction. This photo comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah historian.
