Dave Dahl Of Dave’s Killer Bread Trades Fast Paces For Open Spaces

Dave Dahl has never been a stranger to change. Throughout his 61-year journey from convicted felon serving a total of 15 years in prison to one of America’s most storied breadmakers to African art dealer, Dahl has reinvented himself time and time again. Now, he’s adding to the list with his latest adventure: country farmer.

Dahl and his wife Michelle have traded their 2,920 square-foot penthouse condo in downtown Portland for 33 acres on the Clackamas River outside the city. With plans to grow their own food and populate the property with horses, dogs and “whatever else,” Dahl is optimistic about the future.

“It’s the perfect place to retire,” Dahl said. “We want to be as self-sustaining as possible, the veggie beds are already planted.”

Dahl and his wife, Michelle Bain-Dahl, were married in 2020, and he knew that her love of animals and open spaces would mean his beloved condo with spectacular views of downtown Portland and the Cascade Range would likely no longer be the place he called home.

Though it was the perfect spot when he found it in 2017, the Dahls are looking forward to their new digs. They’re working with Randy Sebastian, president of award-winning Renaissance Homes, to update and add to an existing 1970s farmhouse on the site. They hope to modernize the space to accommodate and enhance today’s lifestyle and to make it a comfortable place for years to come, including aging-in-place solutions.

Dahl says he and his wife are looking forward to a place where they can play music, enjoy the pool and spend time with friends and family. Focused on maintaining their healthy lifestyle, Dahl expects the 33 acres, animals and gardening to keep him busy while he works on future projects, including a second book to follow his 2010 chronicle of his now-famous redemption story Good Seed. A movie about his life is reportedly in the works.

In this new chapter of life, Dahl explained he’s, “looking for less stress, less drama and focusing on the work there is to do.”

The move from Dahl’s Benson Tower penthouse has already happened. In the interim, Portland Trailblazer’s forward Jerami Grant leased the property for a time but has since moved. The three-bedroom condo has been freshly painted and is ready for its next view-loving owner. Featuring expansive patio space and 360-degree views of the city and the biggest stars of Pacific Northwest geography — Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Ranier and Mt. Adams — this is an unmatched property in the area.

Dahl purchased the property for $3.065 million in 2017 and envisioned it as the perfect backdrop for this incredible African art collection. After the sale of Dave’s Killer Bread in 2015, Dahl’s attention turned to art after finding inspiration in primitive tribal masks.

Dahl’s story is well-known and was featured on Dave’s Killer Bread packaging for many years. While serving a total of 15 years in prison for drug-related crimes, Dahl struggled with mental health issues and credits the appropriate antidepressant medication and classes in computer-aided drafting (CAD) in prison for helping to inspire and motivate him. After his release, Dahl’s brother, Glenn, offered him a job with the family’s long-standing bakery, Naturbake. There, Dahl drew on his experience working with CAD for a methodology to improve and iterate bread recipes. In 2005, he began selling his Dave’s Killer Bread at the Portland Farmers Market, and the popularity of his story and his loaves took off.

“I was lucky and thinking like a construction designer helped me improve those recipes through experimentation and testing,” Dahl said. “Now everybody knows me for bread and redemption.”

Dahl faced more challenges in 2013 when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after some strange behavior necessitated his coworkers to call 911. He fled and triggered a police chase, resulting in collisions with three police vehicles and a night in jail.

“I let people down,” Dahl said. “I’m working and moving forward, still doing good things.”

Dahl is closely involved with several nonprofit organizations dedicated to many issues he has personally experienced. Some of the many organizations he supports are Constructing Hope, providing vocational training for people of color, people coming from incarceration and low-income adults; Central City Concern, providing resources and programs for housing, healthcare, recovery and job placement; and Nucleos, providing educational programs to incarcerated individuals. Dahl is a lead investor in Nucleos, firmly believing that the opportunity to learn CAD in prison was a key element in rebuilding his life.

Dave’s Killer Bread was sold in 2015 for $275 million to Flower Foods. Though his story of redemption is no longer printed on the packaging, the new owners maintain a commitment to ‘second chance employment’ by hiring formerly incarcerated people.

Written by Bridget Lynch.