“We’re here to bear witness that the standards we say are taking place are happening,” says Rabbi Brun-Kestler, as he explains the path Essential Baking took to producing a line of parbaked breads (under the name Fremont Baking Company) that are kosher. The bakery, which for a decade has had a devoted following in the Pacific Northwest for its fresh-baked bread, wanted to create a product that could be sold nationally. “It was important for Fremont Baking Company products to be kosher because in the past 10 years it’s become typical for national brands to be kosher,” says Rabbi Brun-Kestler, who koshered the bakery in 2003.