In a corner of Blue Sky, on a Toppenish side street, something small but magical happens by the thousands every day. Tortillas are being made. Not just any tortilla, but the hot, swoon-worthy, fresh, flour tortillas of the Blue Sky Market.
Tortillas? Magical?
Why yes, they are.
What do they taste like? Like a simple pleasure—warm and straight forward, not trying to be anything but what they are. Perfectly pillowy and pliable, chewy and soft. What all other flour tortillas aspire to.
The Blue Sky Market is an old school neighborhood grocery in the heart of Toppenish, Washington. Shortly after it was purchased by Mike and Janet Mayer over twenty years ago, they decided to try and create a niche for themselves by introducing fresh flour tortillas to the market. Almost all of the fresh tortillas that are made locally are corn. By choosing flour, and creating a high quality, preservative free version that is made fresh in store, they succeeded. Janet estimates that they make an average of about 3,000 tortillas daily, and sell nearly all of them.
Heading back to a corner of the store, I meet Isabel and Blanca who are manning the tortilla station. They tell me that things get going around 6 am and continue all day, in two different shifts. Blanca stands next to the tortilla oven that looks something like a popcorn maker with glass walls but has a spiral shoot inside. A flame flickers noticeably in the spiral. She inserts the ball of dough at the top, where it is compressed into a disc and slowly slides down the spiral. By the time it gets down to the bottom, it’s puffed up with steam like a balloon. As it makes a short journey along a wire conveyor belt, it deflates before it drops into a basket and waits, all hot and ready, to be packaged up.
Cue customer. You can watch them roll off the belt and have your hot tortillas bagged right before your eyes. As I stand there chatting with Isabel, several people come by for just that. “They’re the best,” says one fellow grabbing two bags (one for eating in the car, and one to bring home). Another woman tells me she comes down from Yakima on regular tortilla runs, and that, being strictly a corn fan, these are the only flour tortillas she will even eat. The last gentleman didn’t speak English, but I could see the way he smiled as he moved the hot bag from hand to hand, pleased at the fresh warmth of it like he just learned a secret.
The word on the street for those in the tortilla-know, all echo the same sentiment. Holy shit! These tortillas have reached a level of celebrity status, locally. During peak times, there are lines of people waiting for their hot bag of 10. Because they don’t have any preservatives, they don’t really have a shelf life, so have to be purchased when needed and eaten with relative haste.
Some things make us swoon naturally. An uninterrupted view of the Grand Canyon, or an orange streaked sunset on the beach. Then there are those things that swoon us by surprise. Like the unexpected bliss in biting into a chewy, warm tortilla, made fresh at the Blue Sky Market.
Toppenish – 116 Chehalis Ave.
Mabton – 330 North St.
chewy, warm; pillowy & pliable
remind me of my 1 st visit @ a 5 Guys Burger joint. they’ve got LOADS of marketing signs around restaurant touting the goodness of the burgers. It was ONE word that grabbed me “ velvety”
And they were !I ate a hamburger of velvet consistency.
Hope these descriptors can be used by others ( locals) who read this fantastic write up.
from an envious northeasterner
Some of the best tortillas I have ever eaten
Blue Sky was my family’s store until 1968. My dad, Bob Campbell, built the store literally with his own hands back in 1938. They built additions in the 40s, 1954, and 1960. Mike and Jane have carried the spirit of my Dad’s vision through the years.
Blue Sky Market makes the best tortillas around. This market may be tucked away in a small town, but the tortillas have me driving from Portland Oregon to buy some. YUM!!!!!!!!!
I appreciate the wonderfully written article about our tortillas. I also am so pleased we can bring a quality product to our customers who have supported us so faithfully. I do need to make a correction, though, regarding the statement that they are preservative free. It is true that they do not have a long shelf life which is what makes them taste like home made. However, there is a very small amount of preservative in the recipe. They do need to be eaten right away or put into the fridge or freezer for a longer life.
Rooted described those tortillas perfectly; warm, pillowed, chewey…and add addictive!
Mmmmm….best tortilla ever!!!
Without a doubt, these are the best tortillas I’ve ever eaten. Wish I was closer.
I had my very first adventure in life at the Campbell’s Grocery store, when the owner called my mom to say “we have your little girl down here”. “No”, my mom replied, “she is taking a nap”. “Well, you better look again” said the grocer. Yep, I had broken loose and was taking a spin on my trike. c:
Cynthia Allen Sheridan
Hope I get to try the tortillas sometime