Long before sunrise, while most of Boise is still asleep, Michael Runsvold and his staff are already hours into their day.
Inside Acme Bakeshop, numerous doughs move through carefully orchestrated stages of fermentation, shaping, and baking. Every loaf follows its own timeline. Baguettes, country loaves, brioche and sourdough each demand something different, and keeping them all in motion requires more than instinct.
“I think my greatest skill is scheduling,” Runsvold said with a laugh.
The answer sounds practical, but it reveals his approach to baking. Great bread is the result of countless small decisions made at the right moment. Timing matters as much as technique. The process is methodical, yet the results are greater than the sum of their parts, producing bread that tastes quietly remarkable.
That discipline has helped shape both Acme Bakeshop and Boise’s evolving food culture. Acme bread anchors the menus of many local restaurants and coffee shops, fills shelves at specialty retailers, and draws one of the longest lines at the Boise Farmers Market.
Runsvold’s career began almost by accident. At 17, his sister helped him land a job at Bruegger’s Bagels, where he baked pre-formed dough.
“Baking wasn’t something anyone suggested as a career,” he said. “But you start doing it and realize somebody has to know how to make all this.”
After graduating from Centennial High School and taking college classes, he discovered the artisan loaves from Zeppole Bakery. Their craftsmanship fascinated him. When an opening became available, he applied.
Working under Founder Gary Ebert, Runsvold learned that bread isn’t mastered through recipes alone. Dough changes with temperature, humidity, and time. Learning to read it requires touch, observation, and thousands of repetitions.
“You develop muscle memory,” he said. “Hands-on is the best way to learn.”
Runsvold credits Ebert as both mentor and teacher, while the small baking crew learned from one another through the daily rhythm of mixing, shaping, and baking.
After Zeppole changed ownership, Runsvold briefly left baking to try construction before returning to the craft at Gaston’s Bakery. There, alongside bakers trained in France, he expanded his technical skills while producing bread and pastries for Le Café de Paris and wholesale customers.
Over time, he began envisioning a bakery of his own.
The timing wasn’t ideal. He and his wife, Soraya, had just welcomed their first child. Opening a business felt more intimidating than realistic, but they began piecing together equipment one purchase at a time.
“You don’t need a lot of equipment for a bakery,” Runsvold said. “But the equipment you need is expensive.”
He scoured eBay for used commercial equipment. One day, an oven originally listed for $30,000 suddenly dropped to $15,000. Before going to bed, he submitted an offer for $10,000.
When he checked the next morning, it had been accepted.
“I woke up and thought, ‘Okay, now this is real,'” he recalled.
Acme opened in the spring of 2013 and like many young businesses, the early months were uncertain. Runsvold launched a bread share, inviting friends to prepay for future loaves. Their support helped purchase flour, sheet pans, and enough supplies to keep the bakery moving.
Then came Acme’s first major wholesale customer: 10 Barrel Brewing. The chef wanted bread that nobody else in Boise was serving.
“It was a win-win thing,” Runsvold said, “and it was a lifesaver.”
The business continued to grow, building their presence at the farmers market and adding more wholesale customers. Two years later, in 2015, the James Beard Foundation named Runsvold a semifinalist for Outstanding Baker, one of the profession’s highest honors.
“It was a surprise and an honor,” recalled Runsvold. “I didn’t feel deserving at the time.”
More than a decade later, Acme has become one of Idaho’s defining artisan bakeries, supplying restaurants, grocery stores, and loyal customers throughout the Treasure Valley. Growth, however, has never been the goal.
“We could sell more bread,” he said. “The question is, what does that mean for quality? The last thing the world needs is more mediocre bread.”
That philosophy extends beyond the bakery itself. Acme works closely with local farms and producers. Ingredients from Purple Sage Farms, McIntyre Pastures, Malheur River Meats, Fiddler’s Green Farm, Hillside Grain, and more regularly find their way into specialty breads and baked goods.
“How can you be surrounded by all this bounty and not be inspired by it?” he asked.
When Runsvold entered the profession, artisan bread was still a novelty in Idaho. Today, small craft bakeries are opening across Boise and the Treasure Valley. Rather than seeing them as competitors, he sees them as evidence of a stronger local food community.
“These small bakeries are doing wonderful work in their neighborhoods,” said Runsvold. “But I want to be doing good work for a lot of people.”
That commitment has guided Acme Bakeshop from the beginning. After leaving Zeppole and Gaston’s, Runsvold struggled to find the kind of bread he wanted to eat. Opening Acme became his answer.
“It’s working for my hometown,” he said. “I want my hometown to have a reliable loaf of bread.”