Early each Friday and Saturday morning in summer, Lana Mcintire rolls a cute-as-a-button, Barbie-pink cart in front of her Bodega Bay home and plants signs along Highway 1, pointing beachgoers and coastal cruisers to her summertime-only sweet stop. “I feel like people see pink and think dessert,” says Mcintire.

The mom of two launched her Nom Nom Cakes bakery cart last summer to supplement her year-round custom cake business. It was an instant success. It also happens to be Bodega Bay’s only bakery.

Laden with cookies, tarts, and Mcintire’s signature cake jars, the sweet car is just a short detour into a residential neighborhood a few minutes’ drive north of town. The clientele is a mix of neighbors, day-trippers and tourists staying in nearby vacation rentals, who pull up, browse the shelves, and peek into the cart’s two refrigerated coolers in search of the perfect dessert.

The Nom Nom cart operates on a self-serve, honor-based payment system, accepting cash or Venmo. Since cell service in the area can be spotty, Mcintire posts her Wi-Fi password to help customers pay online. She is usually nearby in her home — happily baking, and ready to bring in sweet reinforcements when supplies run low. Mcintire notes that the cart often sells out on busy holiday weekends.

Mcintire, a Los Angeles culinary school graduate with experience in high-end restaurants in L.A. and Las Vegas, moved to Sonoma County in 2014. Here she draws inspiration from seasonal fruits and rotates her cart menu each weekend. Her summer cake jars feature flavors like brown sugar peach, vanilla blackberry, and strawberry crunch. “I make my own strawberry crunch with Golden Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries,” she says. “It’s like that strawberry ice cream bar on a stick.”

That dessert is one of her most popular along with peanut butter cheesecake and a treat called the millionaire bar — a buttery shortbread crust layered with rich salted caramel, chocolate ganache, and a light sprinkling of sea salt. “It’s almost Twix on steroids,” says Mcintire.

This summer, Mcintire has added charcuterie boxes as a savory option, perfect for a beach picnic. Packages of homemade pancake mix are another new addition, tailored for travelers staying in the many Airbnbs in her neighborhood. Those temporary guests inspire some of the little extras she includes on the cart, like gift bags, candles and cake toppers — an instant party for those celebrating a special occasion. There are also s’mores kits and reusable marshmallow roasting sticks. As of June, the cart carries copies of her new, self-published cookbook, “Sweet Creations: Crafting Your Dream Desserts.”

Mcintire has become a bit of a celebrity in her seaside town. On a trip to the post office just before opening for the season, three different people recognized her as “the dessert cart lady” and shared stories about their favorite treats. “To have three people at the same time recognize me, I was like, wow,” she says. “I’m thankful that people support my small business and the good things we’re trying to do.”

Nom Nom Cakes, 390 Calle Del Sol, Bodega Bay, 805-350-0680, nomnombaking.com

The post Nom Nom Cakes Sells Summer Sweets by the Sonoma Seashore appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Eat dessert first, because those peas and carrots aren’t going anywhere. No matter what mom said, we’re all about enjoying the sweeter things in life and worrying about the rest tomorrow.

When the call went out for some of your favorite desserts, we couldn’t help but add a few of our own guilty pleasures from around Sonoma County. Read with caution, because this list is jam-packed with chocolate, sugar, whipped cream and cookies.

National Dessert Day is Oct. 14, so now would be as good a time as any to get acquainted with the best desserts in the county.

Story by Sofia Englund, Jennifer Graue, Heather Irwin and Maci Martell. Readers contributed their dessert picks on the Sonoma Magazine Facebook.

Heather’s Picks

Banana Pudding, Rocker Oysterfeller’s at Lucas Wharf, Bodega Bay

Cupcakes, Odd Cookie Bakery, Penngrove

Tiramisu, Portico, Sebastopol

Strudel, Tisza Bistro, Healdsburg

Friday Pie Day, Hazel, Occidental

Chai Tea Ice Cream, Darling Ice Cream Shop, Sonoma

Sofia’s Picks

Glacée and Petit Beurre Cookies, Goguette Bread, Santa Rosa

This popular boulangerie extended its opening hours to 9 p.m. this summer, a brilliant move as warm Sonoma County nights made for a perfect excuse to indulge in their housemate glacée — a decadent French custard-style ice cream — to the tune of chansons on their Parisian patio. Picking a couple of flavors (new ones are made each week) is near impossible when you have choices like pistachio, rose, violet and choco-orange. Whatever flavor you pick, pair your treat with Le Petit Beurre, Goguette’s take on the shortbread from Nantes, in the Brittany region of France. Order in advance to bring your desserts home during fall and winter — ice cream and cookies are not just for summer.

59 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, goguettebread.com 

Mini Lemon Meringue, The Pharmacy, Santa Rosa

Editor’s Note: The Pharmacy closed unexpectedly in early November 2024.

If you’re craving dessert, this miniature version of lemon meringue may seem a bit petite at first glance. But what it lacks in size it makes up for in flavor. It’s also very pretty — a bright yellow swirl served in a tiny glass jar. Enjoy it in one of the Adirondack chairs outdoors or seated by the large windows, watching the world go by on Sonoma Avenue. Or bring it home, like we often do. The evidence: tall stacks of tiny glass jars in our kitchen cupboard.

990 Sonoma Ave., Santa Rosa, 707-978-2801, thepharmacysonomacounty.com 

Gluten-free Carrot Cake, Zoftig Eatery, Santa Rosa

Carrot cake, done right, can be absolutely sublime. Zoftig Eatery has perfected the art of the carrot cake with a gluten-free version that has the Goldilocks ratio of just the right amount of carrot, spice, sweetness and moistness. It is rich, but not overpowering, and the cream cheese frosting is really the icing on the cake, not detracting from the flavors by being overly sweet or artificial-tasting. The secret, according to co-owner Sonjia Spector, is high-quality spices and lasting friendships: the restaurant buys the gluten-free flour for the cake from Spector’s childhood friend Dawn Zaft of Criminal Baking Co. We have attempted to split this generous slice of carrot cake in two and save the second half for the following day, but never succeeded.

57 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-521-9554, zoftigeatery.com 

Vegan Elderflower/Berry Mini Cake, Criminal Baking Company, Santa Rosa

This hidden gem bakery, located off the beaten path in a red brick industrial building on Donahue Street, continues to serve up the best sweet treats in Sonoma County. The menu changes frequently, but you won’t be disappointed whatever you order. A recent favorite includes a vegan elderflower/berry mini cake — the kind of heavenly dessert that treats your taste buds to a kind of transcendental experience. The outdoor seating, under bright yellow umbrellas, is lovely but we like the bustling indoor space that feels like a theater set beneath tall ceilings.

808 Donahue St., Santa Rosa, 707-888-3546, criminalbakingcompany.com

Jennifer’s Picks

Gateau Parisien, Patisserie Angelica, Sebastopol

If the words “gluten-free dessert” normally leave you cold, this ethereal treat (which just won the best of show award in the 2024 Sonoma County Harvest Fair) will change your mind. Three layers of almond macaron are layered with Italian praline buttercream. It’s not overly sweet and is simply delicious. The best part? In addition to full sized cakes, they also come in individual servings so you don’t have to share.

6821 Laguna Park Way, Sebastopol, 707-827-7998, patisserieangelica.com

Fruit Basket Cake, Oliver’s Market, multiple locations

This cake perennially pops up at birthdays, retirement parties and Mother’s Day gatherings, and every single time it appears, we make a beeline for the dessert table. An eye-catching rainbow of fruit for a topping draws you in, but the layers of moist vanilla cake, pastry cream and a hint of raspberry jam keep you coming back for just one more bite. Cakes come in 6, 8 and 10 inches, plus two sheet cake sizes for when you’re serving a crowd.

Locations in Cotati, Santa Rosa and Windsor. oliversmarket.com

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie, Noble Folk, Santa Rosa & Healdsburg

This pie is 9 inches of decadence, and it is worthy every single, silky bite. Noble Folk’s co-owner, Christian Sullberg, fills an Oreo cookie crust with whipped peanut butter mousse and tops it all with a cloud of whipped cream. It’s a seasonal pie, usually only on the menu a couple of times a year, but it’s your lucky day because it’s available right now just in time for National Dessert Day. My 2022 Thanksgiving story included a recipe for it; super bonus!

116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-395-4426; 539 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-978-3392, thenoblefolk.com

Maci’s Picks

Brownie Cupcake and Baby Fruit Galettes, Downtown Bakery & Creamery, Healdsburg

Step into Healdsburg’s Downtown Bakery, and suddenly words like “carbs” and “calories” have no meaning. The incredibly rich and chocolaty brownie cupcake is a treat I will never pass up. And whatever fruit galette is available, get it. All of them are winners.

308 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-431-2719, downtownbakeryhealdsburg.com

Cinnamon Babka, Grossman’s Noshery & Bar, Santa Rosa

Skip the slice and go right for the half loaf of Grossman’s sticky, sweet cinnamon babka to take home and share with loved ones. Or hide it away to indulge in to yourself — we’ve all been there. The chocolate crinkle cookies and rugelach also never disappoint.

308 Wilson St., Santa Rosa, 707-595-7707, grossmanssr.com

Apple Pecan Crumble Pie, Petaluma Pie Company, Petaluma

This brown sugar-sweetened apple pie is topped with a nutty crumble and a generous drizzle of housemade salted caramel for a luscious fall dessert. Bring it to the Thanksgiving table this year to switch up your traditional pie offerings and make a lasting impression. And while nothing beats grandma’s homemade, from-the-garden strawberry rhubarb pie, this humble pie shop’s sweet-tart strawberry rhubarb comes as close as it gets.

125 Petaluma Blvd. N., Suite B, Petaluma, 707-766-6743, petalumapiecompany.com

Readers’ Picks

Carrot Chocolate Chip Cookies and Cardamom Braids, Cacau Bakery, Santa Rosa

“Cacau bakery (Swedish and Brazillian, found in the farmers markets in Santa Rosa and elsewhere) — carrot chocolate chip cookies and cardamom braids. Go here if you’re tired of sugar being used as the flavor rather than the flavor enhancer,” wrote Per-Anders Edwards on Facebook. “They know what Scandinavian food tastes like … they even use the right type of cardamom.”

Santa Rosa, instagram.com/cacau.sweets

Princess Cake, Scandia Bakery, Sonoma

A vanilla cake filled with raspberry jam and vanilla custard, covered in whipped cream and rolled in marzipan icing.

“The Swedish Princess Cake from (the) Scandinavian bakery in Sonoma! Outstanding!” wrote in Maria LeVicki on Facebook.

“That was the birthday cake my mom wanted every year!” replied Donna Litvin.

500 W. Napa St., Suite 542, Sonoma, 707-938-5820, scandiabakery.com

Berry Turnovers, Mom’s Apple Pie, Sebastopol

“The berry turnovers at Mom’s Apple Pie,” replied Elizabeth Jack to our query on best local desserts on Facebook. “Crispy, buttery layers around mixed berries. Yum!”

4550 Gravenstein Hwy. N., Sebastopol, 707-823-8330, momsapplepieusa.com

Chocolate Mousse, CIBO Rustico Pizzeria, Santa Rosa

The Coppa Tre Cioccolati Mousse at CIBO has silky white chocolate, dark chocolate, and hazelnut and wafers.

“CIBO Rustico Pizzeria — 3 layer chocolate mousse,” wrote Emily Haws on Facebook. “What dreams are made of.”

1305 Cleveland Ave., Suite C, Santa Rosa, 707-623-9906, ciborustico.com

Ice Cream, Screamin’ Mimi’s, Sebastopol

“Screaming Mimi’s Mimi’s Mud Chocolate Espresso Ice Cream in Sebastopol!” wrote Marty Waldron.

Mimi’s Mud is an espresso ice cream with chocolate chips, Oreo-like cookies and housemade fudge. Screamin’ Mimi’s Pumpkin Mud is also back this fall season.

“Lavender ice cream from Screamin’ Mimi’s Ice Cream,” wrote Michi Cardenas Campos.

6902 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol, 707-823-5902, screaminmimisicecream.com

S’more, Wit & Wisdom, Sonoma

“Wit & Wisdom: Deconstructed S’more,” Emily Haws wrote on Facebook. “Chef Danny and team always push the level with desserts. I have enjoyed so many incredible ones — and they serve Fiorello’s Artisan Gelato, which is a plus in my eyes!”

The restaurant’s current dessert menu includes Woodfired S’mores Souffle for two, served with cherry coulis, Fiorello vanilla gelato and a graham streusel.

1325 Broadway, Sonoma, 707-931-3405, witandwisdomsonoma.com

Meringue, Les Pascals Patisserie, Glen Ellen

“You might miss these little guys next to the till, or pass over them thinking they’re just for decoration,” wrote Per-Anders Edwards. “But if you’re a fan of gooey meringue (the best kind on a pavlova, Eton Mess or lemon meringue tart) and miss it, here you can get a single mouthful that’s just as much as you’d want before the sugar coma kicks in. Two flavors. They have some great savory options.”

13758 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, 707-934-8378, lespascalspatisserie.com

Mama Janne’s Cream Cheese Pie, Stark’s Steak & Seafood, Santa Rosa

“Mama Janne’s Cheese Pie at Stark’s Steakhouse — the best,” John Noble wrote on Facebook.

The pie is filled with brown butter peaches and topped with a graham cracker crumble.

521 Adams St., Santa Rosa, 707-546-5100, starkrestaurants.com

Churros, Warike Restobar, Santa Rosa

“Warike Restobar – Churros,” wrote Per-Anders Edwards on Facebook. “Fun, shareable, finally a decent amount of cinnamon! The rest of the menu’s great, too.”

Warike’s churros are filled with manjar blanco (similar to dulce de leche) and served with vanilla ice cream.

527 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 707-536-9201, warikesf.com

Pumpkin Spice Bundtlet, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Santa Rosa

“Nothing Bundt Cakes (Santa Rosa Coddingtown mall) — Pumpkin Spice bundtlet,” wrote Per-Anders Edwards on Facebook. “You can ask for it minus the icing in ‘naked’ form. Once you eliminate the octopus of icing, this is pretty similar in flavor profile and texture to some Swedish spice cakes.”

266 Coddingtown Center, Santa Rosa, 707-708-4800, nothingbundtcakes.com

Cakes and Apple Cider Doughnuts, Flour Girl, Cloverdale

“Flour Girl — her cakes and apple cider donuts are to die for!” wrote Savannah DelCampo-Snyde.

227 N. Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale, myflourgirl.com

Chocolate Caramel Crunch Bars, BurtoNZ Bakery, Windsor

“BurtoNZ Bakery in Windsor has chocolate caramel crunch bars that are seriously addictive,” wrote Elizabeth Jack on Facebook.

9076 Brooks Road S., Windsor, 707-687-5455, burtonzbakery.com

Other notable mentions

“Sarmentine — A French patisserie worth visiting in three locations now (Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Petaluma). Go for the tartlets, the fruit one is a favorite, also a good loaf and super deep dish quiche.” – Per-Anders Edwards

“Mad Batter Cakery Co. — Best GF cupcakes I have had in my life.” – Emily Haws

“A Lil Somethin’ Sweet is amazing!” – Joseph Anthony

“Almond macaroon ganache at Oliver’s is the best treat in the world.” – Trent Tarranï

“Fleur Sauvage Chocolates creative, yummy, seasonal, fun desserts!” – Laura Jean

“Affogato at Caffe Giostra (in) Petaluma.” – Tom Curran

“Donut holes from Seared and Easy Rider.” – Kathy Goldstein

“Crinkle cookie from Criminal Baking & Catering Company. Ice cream from Nimble & Finn’s Ice Cream and Noble Folk Ice Cream and Pie Bar.” – Corry Kanzenberg

The post The Best Desserts in Sonoma County, According to Our Staff and Readers appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Could there be any dessert more ready to satisfy our collective cravings this summer than a big ol’ slice of pie? Come July, when fresh-from-the-farm summer fruits are at their peak, all other desserts need to take a back seat. Just fold all that deliciousness into a crust and bake till bubbling.

Here are a dozen amazing spots to settle in for a slice—specialty bakeries, restaurants that lean heavily on pie, even a home-based entrepreneur who turned baking into a full-time gig. Plus, we’ve got summer holidays covered with a blue-ribbon recipe for Gravenstein apple pie. (The secret? Add blackberries!)

Step Back in Time — Betty’s Fish N’ Chips

When Susan Corso and her family bought Betty’s Fish N’ Chips 24 years ago, the only dessert on the menu was cheesecake. But Corso thought cheesecake with fish was a bad call. “I felt like lemon was the perfect match, so I took a basic lemon recipe and modified it, and that’s how the Lemon Cloud Pie came up,” she explains. With a super-flaky crust, tangy lemon custard (the fruit comes from her family’s Meyer lemon trees), and huge mounds of whipped cream, the delicious pie is a throwback to a simpler time.

All of Corso’s pies—over 200 a week at peak—are served in single-sized individual portions. “The problem is, it’s very, very labor-intensive,” laughs Corso. “I’ve created this monster for myself now, because everybody loves them, and that’s what they want, so I could never change.”

The 71-year-old runs Betty’s with her son and daughter-in-law, but the pies—the famous Lemon Cloud of course, but also apricot, triple berry, and rhubarb—are all her doing. Want the recipes? So does her son. They’re all in her head, she says. And she’s promised her family that this year, she’ll actually get around to writing them down.

4046 Sonoma Hwy., Santa Rosa, 707-539-0899, bettysfishandchips.com

Double-Crust Wonders — Dominique’s Sweets

Dominique Cortara’s pies have loyal fans queuing up early at her farmer’s market booth. As the season unfolds, she bakes apricot, blueberry, blackberry, plum, peach, and Gravenstein apple pies. But there is a magical moment during summer’s harvest when she makes what may be the most epic of all summer sweets—a pie that combines four or more different fruits. “My favorite features nectarines, Santa Rosa plums, peaches, berries, and, when I can find them, cherries.”

Cortara has definite ideas about the structure of a perfect pie. “Pies are best with two crusts,” she explains, “as the top crust captures steam and facilitates cooking.” But because some folks like to see the fruit inside, she makes a few different lattice-top pies as well. Her flaky crust is simple: just local butter, unbleached organic flour, and ice-cold water.

Available Saturdays at the Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market and Sundays at the Sebastopol Certified Farmers Market. Special orders available, 707-843-9765, dominiquesweets.com

Local’s favorites — Baker & Cook

Pastry chef extraordinaire Jen Demarest and her husband, Nick, ran the Harvest Moon Café on the Sonoma Plaza for years. They closed the busy restaurant in 2019 to focus on Baker & Cook, a more casual, neighborhood takeout shop.

Jen, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and used to be a volunteer firefighter in her hometown of Kenwood, says her summer pies make the best of what’s at the market: caramel-peach, lemon-blueberry, and mixed berry. “I love just a simple peach and blackberry pie with a streusel topping,” she says. “The streusel makes it like a fruit crisp, but then you also have the crust.” She also makes a terrific s’more pie with a graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache, peanut butter mousse, and torched marshmallows on top. Her crusts are known to be super flaky and light. There’s no real secret, says Jen, just lots of butter. ‘That, and probably just technique — and love.’

18812 Highway 12, Sonoma, 707-938-7329, bakerandcooksonoma.com

Old-Fashioned With a Twist — Chile Pies Baking Co.

Set in the historic Guerneville Bank Club, this pie destination cares not a whit for calories. The from-scratch piecrusts are butter-based, and the counter staffers will wisely recommend you add a scoop of Nimble & Finn’s ice cream. You can go nuts, too, and turn the combo into a fancy milkshake – ask, and they shall blend.

Owner Trevor Logan thanks his grandmother for his love of pie – she baked every week when he was growing up in Oklahoma, he says. But pastry chef Wesley Monaham’s pies are all original recipes, including the New Mexico-style green chile apple, crafted with a tart filling that’s spiked with roasted Hatch green chiles under a sharp cheddar cheese crust sprinkled in brown sugar-walnut streusel. The recipe fits Logan’s preference for desserts that aren’t too sweet.

The pecan pie brims with nuts and benefits from the delicious addition of cinnamon- kissed Mexican chocolate. There’s also an apple, blackberry, and blueberry take-and-bake crumble that’s vegan and gluten-free. And if the white nectarine and raspberry pie is on offer the day you visit, don’t miss it.

16290 Main Street, Guerneville, 707-666-9411, chilepiesbakingco.com

Classic Southern Favorites — Sweet T’s

Dennis and Ann Tussey’s shrine to Southern style cuisine has been a wine country favorite since it opened a decade ago, and why not? Everyone loves classic meals like barbecue, biscuits — and pie, wonderful pie. After the restaurant’s original home was lost in the 2017 wildfires, the restaurant returned to resounding cheers at a new Windsor location.

Pecan pie is served cold, in its sticky-crunchy, delicious glory, with a crown of vanilla ice cream slicked with caramel sauce. The Mississippi mud pie hits all the sweet spots, with a slab of mocha ice cream, and drizzled with Ghirardelli chocolate sauce, housemade caramel bourbon sauce and a cap of candied pecans, all atop an Oreo-cookie crust. And while it’s hard to get past the pecan and mud pies, explore the new banana cream pie, too. The crumbly graham cracker crust supports towering layers of banana custard and whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauces.

9098 Brooks Road South, Windsor, 707-687-5185, sweettssouthern.com

Gluten-Free Delicious — The Nectary

Raw, vegan, and gluten-free may, at first, seem to undercut the happy gluttony of pie, but the delicious summer offerings from The Nectary won’t leave you feeling lacking. Right now, they’re highlighting a strawberry-balsamic pie featuring fresh fruit from Petaluma’s Live Oak Farm, and a Meyer lemon-olive oil Sunshine Pie. “The juice, which is cold-pressed from local Meyer lemons, is amazing because the whole fruit is pressed, which means the juice is infused with essential oils from the peels,” explains founder Gia Baiocchi. The olive oil is from the robustly-flavored, piquant Arbequina, a Spanish olive variety.

For many pie lovers, it’s all about the crust. At The Nectary, you’ll find something unique: a vegan-friendly crust of sprouted buckwheat, dates, cashews, sunflower seeds, “activated” almonds (soaked in water for 24 hours), coconut oil, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, and pink salt.

The Nectary, inside the Barlow, 6760 McKinley St., Sebastopol, (707) 829-2697 and 312 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-473-0677, thenectary.net

A Slice in Hand — Criminal Baking Co.

The trick to securing a sweet treat at either of Criminal Baking Co.’s two locations is to arrive early, since owner-baker Dawn Zaft and co-baker Tayler Marsh’s made-daily hand pies sell out quickly. But it’s worth the work to wrap your taste buds around rotating flavors like sweet-tart roasted apples tossed with cinnamon, brown sugar, and lemon juice in a flaky, graham cracker crust.

To get your paws on a full-size pie, you need to order five days in advance. But that means you get to name your crust: buttery pastry, shortbread (gluten-free or regular), graham cracker, or a vegan oat and seed blend. Try silky peanut butter- chocolate cream pie rimmed in crumbles and finished with whipped cream and chocolate cookies. Or, for something different, dig into the delectable banana cream pie.

“The secret is our house-made custard recipe and a delicious smoked maple bourbon added in,” says Zaft. The pies are criminal, by the way – Zaft likes to joke that for her recipes, “fresh ingredients meet in a dark room to conspire in the ultimate taste bud heist.”

Criminal Baking Co., 808 Donahue Street, Santa Rosa, and 992 Gravenstein Hwy. South, Sebastopol, (707) 888-3546, criminalbaking.com

Summer Fruit Specialties — Jenny Malicki

“The fabulous fruit we have in Sonoma County inspires my summer pie-making,” says expert baker Jenny Malicki, adding it is also the most challenging time to bake, because of the heat. “A flaky crust needs cold,” she explains. Working with frozen dough helps maintain the layers of fat-flour-fatflour that create the beloved texture. It is important, as well, not to handle the dough too much, so that gluten does not develop.

Peach pie, made with fruit from a small orchard in Sebastopol, is a favorite, but the one that creates the most buzz is Malicki’s Atlantic Beach pie, inspired by crab shacks back East. The crust is crushed Saltine crackers, and the filling is a simple citrus custard — soft, tender, and topped with freshly whipped cream. “It is a delightful combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy,” she says.

Available at Estero Cafe, 14450 Highway 1, Valley Ford, and Americana, 205 5th St., Santa Rosa, 707-755-1548, americanasr.com. Malicki also serves pie at the Casino Bar & Grill pop-up, 17000 Bodega Highway, Bodega, 707-876-3185.

Exquisitely Crafted – Nom Nom Cakes

These intricate, 9-inch pies and 3.75-inch tarts are so gorgeous, you’d think they took a team of talented elves to create. But owner- baker Lana McIntire makes everything herself, all to-order, out of a licensed home kitchen she founded in 2017. She even personally handles deliveries to West County and the Santa Rosa area.

After baking her first pie at the age of nine, McIntire tested her recipes over and over until she found perfection. For summer, savor McIntire’s flawless peach pie, a labor-intensive, mouthwatering masterpiece. She marinates fruit from the Lao family farm in Sebastopol in vanilla and brown sugar, then thickens the sauce before baking. Her top crust is innovative too: a sweet-tart, eggwashed crust topped with turbinado sugar for both extra crunch and a subtle molasses flavor. No wonder she asks for a three-day lead time on all orders.

McIntire’s fruit tarts — nectarine, blueberry, raspberry, kiwi — sing of the season, with a slightly sour dough stuffed with vanilla bean custard. “But my personal favorite pie is my key lime pie,” McIntire says. “I love the creamy texture against the crunch, and the fresh whipped cream finish to balance the tart key lime.” The final flourish: toasted coconut shavings.

Nom Nom Cakes, pickup and local delivery, 805-350-0680, nomnombaking.com

Flavor Innovation — The Spinster Sisters

Pastry chef Nicole Rubio can do all the classics—lemon cream, berry pies, a terrific old-fashioned coconut cream—but what she’s really excited about is experimenting. Rubio can work magic with combinations others might find challenging—recently, an Arnold Palmer pie, with a creamy lemon meringue that gives way to a dollop of black tea jelly in the center. “It’s new and different, but it’s approachable, because everyone drinks Arnold Palmers,” Rubio says. “And I drink a lot of tea, so anytime I can work that into a recipe is great.”

Rubio, who graduated from the culinary program at Santa Rosa Junior College just a couple of years ago and started a small side gig, Fox and Bun, during the pandemic, credits family for her creativity and drive. Rubio’s mom is Italian, and on her dad’s side, she claims Mexican and Native American Yaqui heritage. “My dad’s mom is the woman on pie,” she says. “I use her apple pie and gingerbread recipes like a bible.”

Find Rubio’s pies on Instagram @foxandbun.bake and taste them at The Spinster Sisters, 401 South A St., Santa Rosa. 707-528-7100, thespinstersisters.com

A La Mode is a Must — Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar

With fan-favorite takeout cafes in downtown Santa Rosa and on the plaza in Healdsburg, Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar brings together two key ingredients to satisfy a sweet tooth: excellent pies and the ice cream to go on top. The flavor combinations here are sophisticated and seasonal, such as strawberry-blueberry-ginger, peach-raspberry, and Scandinavian almond-cardamom custard, which pays tribute to the family background of co-owner Christian Sullberg. There’s also classic apple with a crumble top, and a Mississippi mud pie with s’mores—a chocolate-lover’s dream, with gooey marshmallows baked inside and a cinnamon spiced whipped cream topping. Order by the slice, or grab a whole pie to take home.

Ordering a la mode is a given here, with creamy, house-made scoops like salted caramel and coffee that allow pie fans to layer in that something extra. Sullberg says he knows the past year has been a tough one: “I want people to enjoy something indulgent.”

539 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, (707) 978-3392 and 116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 707-395-4426, thenoblefolk.com

Ingredients with Integrity — Petaluma Pie Company

Ingredients come as local as possible for co-owners Lina Hoshino and Angelo Sacerdote of Petaluma Pie Company, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The small mom-and-pop shop uses organic unbleached pastry flour from Central Milling in Petaluma, just a few miles away. They buy their butter and eggs down the road, too: butter from Straus Family Creamery and eggs from the free-range chickens at Coastal Hill Farm.

Hoshino and Sacerdote have a rotating lineup of fruit and cream pies— coconut, chocolate, banana—plus lime and lemon meringue pies every day, made with fruit they harvest themselves. “We switched over to an Italian-style meringue,” says Sacerdote. “It’s a cooked sugar solution added into the whites as you’re whipping them, and it’s a lot more stable. Then you use a torch.”

Another can’t miss? The Elvis Pie, which layers peanut butter pie, sliced bananas, and chocolate cream, and comes topped with loads of whipped cream, more chocolate, and chopped nuts. Fit for a king indeed.

125 N. Petaluma Blvd., Petaluma, 707-766-6743, petalumapiecompany.com

Great Summer Pie at Home

Growing up, Petaluma’s Kim Laidlaw, a cookbook author, editor, and recipe developer, loved to bake with her mother, and now she continues the tradition alongside her own daughter, Poppy. Laidlaw’s All-American recipe makes the most of Sonoma’s most celebrated local fruit, the Gravenstein apple—in this case, combined with blackberries to bubble up with tons of summer flavor. It’s a juicy, fragrant pie that’s all about the freshness of the filling. Laidlaw says you can make the dough up to a day in advance, but you’ll want to prepare the apples and berries just before baking. And feel free to play around. Laidlaw says the sweetness and juiciness of a pie is really a personal preference. Add more or less sugar, toss in a teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you like spice, or use brown sugar instead of white if you like the flavor better.

Sebastopol Gravenstein Apple and Wild Blackberry Pie

Makes 1 pie

For the crust:

2½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

14 tablespoons (7 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

10 tablespoons ice cold water, plus more if needed

For the filling:

3 pounds Gravenstein apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges about 1/4-inch thick ½ small lemon, juiced ¾ cup packed golden brown

sugar ¼ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup (packed) tapioca starch

2 cups fresh blackberries (12 ounces)

1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water to make an egg wash

1-2 tablespoons raw sugar, for sprinkling Vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Instructions:

First, make the crust. In the bowl of a food processor, process together the flour, salt and sugar.

Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse a few times, just until the butter is the size of large peas. Evenly sprinkle the water over the flour mixture, then process until the mixture just starts to come together (add another 1 tablespoon of water, if needed, to bring it together).

Dump the dough into a large plastic bag, and press together to flatten into a disk. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. (At this point the dough can be refrigerated for up to one day or frozen for up to one month; before rolling out, bring to cool room temperature.) Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees (if you use a convection oven, start at 375 degrees for the first 40 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 for the remaining cooking time).

To make the filling, toss together the apple slices, lemon juice, sugars and tapioca starch. Set aside while you roll out the dough.

To roll out the dough, remove the chilled dough disc from the refrigerator.

Divide the dough in half and form into two discs.

(If the dough is too cold and firm to roll out, let it stand at room temperature for about 10 minutes.) Dust a flat work surface and a rolling pin with flour.

Place one dough disc in the center of the work surface.

Starting from the center and rolling toward the edges and in all directions, roll out the dough into a 12-inch round. As you roll the dough, lift and rotate it several times to make sure it doesn’t stick to the work surface, dusting the surface and the rolling pin with flour as needed.

To line the pie dish, gently roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and then unroll it over a 9-inch pie dish (preferably glass) so that it is roughly centered on the pan.

Lift the edges of the dough to allow the dough to settle into the bottom of the dish evenly.

Roll out the second dough disc into a rectangle that is about 12 inches wide. Using a pizza wheel or a large knife, cut the dough into as many strips as you can; they can all be the same width (1 to 2 inches) or you can vary some thick and some thin.

You should have about 10 strips, more or less.

Gently stir the fresh blackberries into the apple mixture you’ve set aside, then spoon the mixture, including the juices, into the pastry shell in an even layer.

Lay 5 strips of dough evenly across the top of the pie, using the longest strips in the center and the shorter strips on the sides (if you have different widths, vary those as you like).

Fold back every other strip halfway, and lay down a strip perpendicular across the unfolded strips.

Repeat the process of folding back and laying down strips to weave five additional strips of dough evenly across the top of the pie.

Trim the dough (bottom crust and strips together) to leave a 1½-inch overhang.

Tuck the dough under itself to create a rim. Use your fingers or a fork to flute the rim. Place the prepared pie on a baking sheet.

Gently brush the top and edges of the crust lightly with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the raw sugar.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a wooden skewer or a thin knife, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (If the crust starts to get too dark for your liking, lay a piece of foil over the top toward the end of baking.) Let cool to room temperature (or just slightly warm, if you can’t wait), about 3 hours, and serve with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

The post The Best Sweet Pies in Sonoma County appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

The last thing the world needs is another chef re-interpreting mac and cheese.

Thankfully, as Butcher Crown Roadhouse’s Christofer Gutierrez was pondering how to present pasta in a cheesy Béchamel sauce, a very different inspiration struck. An ode to his mom’s affection for butternut squash became the restaurant’s ember-roasted plug of a gourd stuffed with goat cheese and spiced pepitas in a pool of sweet carrot puree.

Whether it’s your thing or not, Calabaza Rellena ($12.50) knows what it is. With sweet, earthy, spicy, creamy, spicy flavors packed into a single plate, it’s an adventure in every forkful. After struggling through the menus of several new restaurants still looking for their lodestar, it was the much-needed inspiration I’d been seeking.

Let’s just say this review may have started very differently were it not for that butternut squash, because it set the stage for a seriously impressive meal at the fledgling eatery. Focused on burgers, tacos, and Latin-inspired barbecue, Butcher Crown Roadhouse is a collaboration between owner Pete Schnell and Gutierrez that has barbecued meat and vegetables at its core but takes flavor cues from Mexico, Cuba, South America, Latin America and traditional barbecue joints closer to home.

At the back of the remodeled Nopalito restaurant on Bodega Avenue is a smoker that Gutierrez uses to add flavor to more than just his squash. Standing on the patio, the young chef who cut his teeth at Brewsters in Petaluma checks the apples that have gone into the smoker earlier. They turn soft, pliable and a bit wrinkled in preparation for one of the most comforting desserts I’ve ever had, brown butter caramel, a fresh funnel cake and vanilla whipped cream with the smoky, soft apple as the star.

The menu changes up, and the much-talked-about Piri Piri chicken has already left the menu (sadly), but Cochinita Pibil Tacos ($11.50), a brisket burger-and-fries dish smothered in cheese and roasted chili salsa are standards. Most of the meats are smoked for 16 to 18 hours concentrating maximum flavor into the fall-off-the-bone meat.

The kitchen uses plenty of local ingredients, smokes in-house and makes fresh tortillas with a combination of flour and corn that bring the best to their slightly irregular shape and perfect thickness.

The restaurant has been transformed into a charming roadhouse with a small beer garden in back for warmer days and nights.

Expect to see new dishes as the seasons and ingredients change, but know that I will never support mac and cheese on the menu because there are too many other dishes for Gutierrez to explore. The kitchen is taking chances on flavors that pay homage to familiar dishes but push past the expected into something utterly delightful. Not every dish perfectly hits the mark — the rice and beans seem a bit of an afterthought — but we’re willing to overlook a few missteps for the joy of tasting dishes with a clear point of view.

And for that, I am even more grateful, because honestly, I can’t take any more fancy mac and cheese.

Best Bets

Papas Fritas, $11.50: It’s literally a hot mess of crispy Kennebec fries, Thistle Meats chorizo, roasted poblano salsa, a truckload of cheddar and jack cheese and cilantro aioli. Think nachos, but with french fries instead as the flavor delivery method instead of chips. There’s a sweet tingle from the chorizo and salsa, but creamy aioli and gooey cheese keep anyone with a mouth from being able to stop cramming these into their face until the dish is licked clean.

Calabaza Rellena, $12.50: One of the biggest rages of the past two years was the Rainbow Explosion cake. When cut, it revealed a hollow center filled with rainbow-colored hard candy that rolled out on the floor in handfuls, yay! Cutting into a hollowed out roasted butternut squash (calabeza) gives the same awe-inspiring effect, with warm goat cheese, poblano peppers and spiced pumpkin seeds tumbling from the inside onto a pool of sweet carrot puree and chili oil. Sweet, nutty squash collapses into tart cheese and earthy peppers creating a dish that’s a surprise from start to finish. Game changer.

Remolacha, $12: The Steven Tyler of vegetable dishes isn’t a looker, but leaves you breathless in its presence. Smoked beets meet sweet chili cream, a splash of chili oil, and tart navel oranges. Hidden in the depths of the bowl are Marcona almonds and roasted poblanos. It hits all the notes, from bright citrus to a smoky bass line.

Brisket Enchiladas with Molé, $16: A weekend-only dish with a history. Slow-braised brisket is rolled into handmade corn and flour tortillas topped with cheese and Gutierrez’s pumpkin mole. He’s been brewing up this batch, much like a sourdough starter since opening in October. Each week as he uses it up he adds more, giving it an increasingly complex flavor. Our only gripe — we wish there was more. Sauces are clearly a strength on all of the dishes, but this is especially good.

Ember-Roasted Apple, $7.50: Save plenty of room for dessert, because the taste of a smoked apple isn’t soon forgotten. A base of brown butter caramel supports a fresh funnel cake, chunks of sweet ember-roasted apple, more caramel and a dollop of sweet vanilla whipped cream. Ever so much better than chocolate lava cakes.

Details: Butcher Crown Roadhouse, 1905 Bodega Ave., Petaluma, 707-559-3735, butchercrown.com. Open Wednesday through Sunday. Dinner 5-9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The post Inspired by Fire: Petaluma’s Butcher Crown Roadhouse appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Here are 20 of our favorite bakeries throughout Sonoma County. We’ve had to make some tough choices since there are far more bread bakers, pie shops and cookie chefs than we can list here. We’ll follow up with more favorites in select categories, or check out our guides to great local producers and great pies. 

Miss a favorite? Add it in the comments below.

Contributors: Diane Peterson (DP)

The post 20 Incredible Bakeries in Sonoma County appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Update: All locations are now closed.

Something wicked is happening in Healdsburg, and locals are lining up in droves just to get a taste of it.

Boston native Amy Covin recently opened Amy’s Wicked Slush just steps from the Russian River, hoping to bring “slush”, an iconic icy, sweet treat of her childhood to Sonoma County.

Just in time for summer, she’s done exactly that.

What’s a slush? Unless you’re from the East Coast, you probably have no idea. Think of this iconic New England dessert as Icee meets sorbet meets shave ice. Available sizes from pipsqueak to “there’s no way you can eat that, bro,” slush is properly eaten with a spoon rather than a straw. Expect to find yourself with a wicked good melty mess on your hands halfway in.

But Wicked Slush is no mere ice cream shack. It’s more of an ode to Amy’s favorite New England foods, featuring nearly a dozen flavors of slush (mango and cherry to classic lemon) along with freshly made bagels and Italian subs that are straight from the North End of Boston.

Aggghhhh, bagels! These are seriously good bagels that don’t turn into a pile of crumbs when you cut them. It’s one of the only things we miss terribly from NYC.

Italian Subs! Piles of mortadella, capicola, “hots” and not a dab of mustard in sight with a perfect hoagie roll. Bad delis have given this classic a bad name. The “half” however, is bigger than your arm, and you’ll likely eat the whole thing. The whole is, well, bring a team to help you.

Wicked Slush didn’t just happen by chance. Covin worked with local BurtoNZ Bakery in Windsor for three months to get the Italian hoagie rolls and boiled/baked bagels as authentic as possible. For the sandwiches, she used the power of persuasion and a whole lot of charm to get the secret recipes from the biggest names in Boston’s deli scene. And Covin can be very persuasive.

“This is just street food,” says the former CPA (she worked this tax season while opening the slush spot), and president of the Prune Packers baseball team.

Though she had no real interested in a restaurant, after a string of tragedies that included her home burning to the ground and her daughter being seriously injured in a car accident, Covin was ready to leave her desk job and enjoy life a little more.

Sitting on the deck of her Wicked Slush in a tee shirt and slush-stained fingers while holding her 2-month old grandson, she’s found her bliss. For the 55-year-old, that even includes pulling all-nighters jamming to Bruce Springsteen and making slush for the next day. That, and teaching high school kids she mentors how to properly make a dip cone.

“Usually on their fourth try they get it,” she said.

With her son Benny as general manager and most of her other family members, including her dad and her husband, helping out, it’s a cheerful kind of insanity as lines begin to form even on an early Tuesday afternoon. “We were lucky to survive the first week,” she laughs.

Covin is currently working on her Wicked Wagon, a mobile slush truck for events and deliveries so the rest of Sonoma County can taste a bit of Wicked.

Amy’s Wicked Slush is open Tuesday through Sunday, 7a.m. to 10p.m., 13840 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-9253, facebook.com/wickedslush. Dog and kid-friendly.

The post You’re About to Crave Healdsburg’s First Boston Slush appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Did you know one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America lives and works right here in Sonoma County? And that his nickname is “Buttercup”? Meet Robert Nieto and 5 other amazing local pastry chefs we love…

Somewhere between the heat of the sun and molten lava is the perfect temperature for pulling melted sugar into lovely candy ribbons. Robert Nieto has the scars to prove it.

Working under a glowing red heat lamp in the Santa Rosa kitchen of Jackson Family Wines, he gingerly tugs at a 200-plus-degree blob of boiled sugar with gentle flicks of his wrist, creating thin wisps of candy that harden almost immediately into curls. In mere minutes, the blob can become a rock, so Nieto works with the intensity of a surgeon, despite the constant pain of his burning fingers.

The life of a pastry chef isn’t always so sweet.

Nieto is one of several highly trained Sonoma pastry chefs whose media are chocotemptations late, sugar, flour, cream and butter. More than bakers, these oft-overlooked artisans are equal parts scientist and artist, working with a precision and intensity demonstrated by the dreamy confections that make a great meal extraordinary.

Unlike a savory pan sauce or piece of meat that might benefit from an added pinch of salt at the end, baking is unforgiving. Pastry and confections are about exact measurements and processes so the soufflé doesn’t fall and the custard doesn’t break into an oily mess. It takes expertise to create a dessert so intriguing that it can stand up to every other course of the meal.

Here are six Sonoma masters of the craft.

ROBERT NIETO 
Jackson Family Wines, Santa Rosa

PASTRY SUPERPOWER: Chocolate.

CAN’T TAKE OFF THE MENU: Mama Frischkorn’s Caramel Corn (a Jackson Family specialty).

As part of the Jackson Family Wines culinary team, Nieto produces a vast lineup of desserts — from perfect cylinders of chocolate ganache with gold-covered chocolate or butterscotch panna cotta with candy cap mushroom meringue and sweet potato ice cream, to sculptural creations of tuile, mango cream and rhubarb sauce — as well as all manner of breads and pastries featured on menus at the various Jackson Family wineries and tasting rooms.

“I’m always looking for the wow factor,” he said. Using geometric shapes, molds and unexpected twists, such as candy ribbons, his plates engage all the senses.

In just about every spare moment (and with the blessings of his bosses), he trains in Chicago for a spot on Pastry Team USA, which will compete in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie competition in Lyon, France, in January 2017. Nieto was also chosen one of the top 10 pastry chefs in the country this year by Dessert Professional magazine.

As for the nickname he’s learned to love? “Buttercup” was foisted on him by Jackson Family executive chef Justin Wangler after a particularly ungraceful game of volleyball, where Nieto became “Butterfingers.” Over time, it morphed into Buttercup. With a portfolio of work that includes tiny pink macarons filled with cream, statues of chocolate and spun sugar, and pastry so delicate it nearly evaporates to the touch, his nickname suits him.

Taste Nieto’s creations at Kendall-Jackson’s north Santa Rosa tasting room, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton, 707-576-3810, kj.com/wine-andchocolate- pairing. A wine and chocolate pairing is offered, by appointment, for $25.

DAVID BLOM 
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Sonoma

PASTRY SUPERPOWER: Jack of all desserts.

CAN’T TAKE OFF THE MENU: Wild strawberries, when in season.

With the competing demands of special-event cakes, dining-room desserts and the Fairmont’s luxe holiday buffet spreads (usually with more than a dozen desserts), Blom is a pastry master by necessity. Named one of the best pastry chefs in America by Chocolatier magazine, he’s been the executive pastry chef at Sonoma Mission Inn for 12 years. His favorite dishes include green tea crème brûlée cake with vanilla-poached rhubarb, and a salted caramel mousse Napoleon.

Having grown up in a family of bakers, frosting is in his blood, yet he continues to push the boundaries of pastry-making, whether by ingredient or technique.

“Buffet desserts, plated desserts, wedding cakes, special-occasion cakes, bread baking, chocolate work, sugar work, molecular gastronomy, confectionery … you need to be adept at all aspects of the pastry profession in a resort setting,” Blom said.

100 Boyes Blvd., Sonoma, 707-9389000, fairmont.com/sonoma

EMMANUEL “MANNY” FIMBREZ 
Madrona Manor, Healdsburg

PASTRY SUPERPOWER: Molecular gastronomy.

CAN’T TAKE OFF THE MENU: Liquid nitrogen tableside ice cream.

Fimbrez is a confectionery wunderkind. Like the manor’s top toque, Jesse Mallgren, he loves deconstructed dishes that mix whimsy, texture, temperature and flavors in surprising ways.

Unfettered by creating a full dessert menu (his sweets are showcased in the tasting menu), Fimbrez isn’t shackled to brownie sundaes and lava cakes. Instead, his signature is “Peas and a Pod,” a strawberry tart with a pulled-sugar pea pod filled with lemon ganache “peas” rolled in pea powder.

This kind of science-based culinary play also includes his take on the traditional sour cream cheesecake, with his own version of Dippin’ Dots (tiny beads of ice cream frozen with liquid nitrogen). The hardest thing about being a pastry chef, Fimbrez said, is trying to do justice to the amazing farming community.

“Everyone knows the Lao (Saetern) strawberry stand in Sebastopol has the best strawberries and knows what they taste like, so you always want to showcase his product,” he said.

1001 Westside Road, Healdsburg, 707-433-4231, madronamanor.com

CASEY STONE 
John Ash & Co., Santa Rosa

PASTRY SUPERPOWER: Kneading dough.

CAN’T TAKE OFF THE MENU: Cheesecake.

With more than a decade on the job at one of Santa Rosa’s favorite dining destinations, Stone knows the four things people really want to see on a dessert menu: something chocolate, something lemon, something comforting and something with ice cream or custard. It’s a pretty simple formula, but Stone has fairy-godmother talent for turning a dish such as chocolate mousse into a fantastical dome of devil’s food cake with vanilla bean-infused syrup, chocolate pearls, bittersweet chocolate mousse and a chocolate glaze.

“There are a lot of components to it that you have to have ready before you can assemble them, but it’s super rich and I love it,” said Stone, who is responsible not only for desserts for the restaurant, but also the hotel, event center and catering.

His signature cheesecake gets its golden slippers from Meyer lemons, huckleberries and tangerine sorbet.

He gets his inspiration from local ingredients and produce grown on the property. As for his talent for kneading bread dough? “I like the feel of it and I do it pretty well,” he said.

4350 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa, 707-527-7687, vintnersinn.com

LISA KAUFMAN
Dry Creek Kitchen, Healdsburg

PASTRY SUPERPOWER: Lemon tarts.

CAN’T TAKE OFF THE MENU: Chocolate peanut butter bar.

The new kid on the block, Kaufman claims she got the job at Charlie Palmer’s Healdsburg restaurant because the other candidate didn’t show up. That, and the fact that the restaurant’s longtime pastry chef, Andrew Di Clementi, was willing to give the recent Santa Rosa Junior College culinary graduate a shot.

“He saw something in me,” Kaufman said. She was also eager to learn from Di Clementi (now at Palmer’s Harvest Table in St. Helena), Palmer and pastry mentors at his Aureole restaurants in New York and Las Vegas.

Her favorite dessert on the Dry Creek Kitchen menu: crème brûlée cheesecake with compressed kiwi and oranges. The dessert that still eludes her: baked Alaska, a show-stopping dome of cake and ice cream topped with meringue and briefly cooked in an oven.

317 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg, 707-431-0330, drycreekkitchen.com

SCOTT NOLL 
Barndiva, Healdsburg

PASTRY SUPERPOWER: Insatiable curiosity.

CAN’T TAKE OFF THE MENU: Milk & Honey.

Noll’s pre-chef experiences in mechanical engineering and art gave him a foundation for precision baking and creating beautiful dishes.

The owner of a vintage Porsche 912 with the license plate PASTREE, he’s a kitchen veteran with old-school mentors including Joyce Goldstein and John Ash, and current Barndiva chef Ryan Fancher. His personal style is mixing familiar flavors with modern presentations, such as with his butterscotch pudding with a piping of Scotch whisky.

One of Noll’s favorites is Milk & Honey, which he calls a “multicomponent surprise package” of dehydrated “crunchy” milk with honey ice cream and honey tea cake, along with a honey-pickled poached pear. A bit of bee pollen under the ice cream completes the concept.

231 Center St., Healdsburg, 707-431-0100, barndiva.com

Photography by Chris Hardy. 

The post The 6 Sweetest Pastry Chefs in Sonoma County appeared first on Sonoma Magazine.

Hello summer! As the sizzling season arrives with meltingly hot days and everlasting nights, thoughts turn to ice cream and its cousins, gelato and sorbet, to cool things down.

In honor of the 31 flavors of Baskin Robbins (natch) or maybe just because July has 31 days to enjoy a cool lick, we’ve put together a list of 31 ice creams you should check out, because one man’s rocky road is another’s Meyer lemon sorbet.

Keep in mind, flavors change up seasonally and sometimes daily, so if you’re really dying for a particular favorite, be sure to call first.

So let’s get to scooping…

Artisans

1. Bourbon bacon brittle ice cream at Nimble and Finn’s. There’s a reason why river-goers line up for some of the best ice cream in Sonoma County. Nimble and Finn’s cheeky by-the-scoop flavors also include white nectarine lemon thyme sorbet, lavender honey comb and cinnamon cookie. Go a la mode with a slice of sweet apple and cherry pie with a drizzle of chile-infused honey from nearby Chile Pies. Guerneville Bank Club, 16290 Main St., Guerneville, 666-9411, or on Sundays at Santa Rosa’s West End Farmers Market at Railroad Square.

2. Coconut Lime ice cream at Noble Folk Ice Cream and Pie Bar. It’s worth a special trip, along with unique flavors like cardamom, blackberry rosemary, cookie butter and Swiss chocolate, each inspired by local produce and the seasons. The menu changes frequently. 116 Matheson St., Healdsburg, 529-­2162.

3. Meyer lemon ice cream at Healdsburg Shed. Small batch ice creams in exotic seasonal flavors at the coffee bar. 25 North St., Healdsburg, 431-7433.

4. Lavender fig ice cream at Sweet Scoops. Sonomans are crazy for this homemade ice cream spot on the square, which always has 22 flavors, from simple vanilla to lemon custard and Mexican chocolate. 408 First St. East, Sonoma, 721-1187.

On Wheels

5. Apricot-almond frozen ice pop by Real Cool Frozen Treats. Don’t call these Popsicles. Chef Maria DeCorpo’s ice cream cart is stocked with pops made from seasonal produce and organic ingredients, flavors like melon-mint, lemon and key lime, strawberry and Mexican chocolate. She’s a regular at the Wednesday night market in Santa Rosa and the Rohnert Park Farmer’s Market on Fridays. facebook.com/realcoolfrozentreats.

6. Pineapple whips at Trader Jim’s. This little retro camper does only one thing, a little aloha in a cup. It is non-dairy soft-serve that you can get with or without a float of fresh pineapple juice. Off The Grid, Sundays from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa. facebook.com/traderjimsfloats.

Childhood Memories

7. Daiquiri ice at Baskin Robbins. You can’t say 31 flavors without thinking of this classic ice cream spot. 282 Coddingtown Center, 544-9516, or baskinrobbins.com.

8. Root beer float at Foster’s Freeze. This old school burger and ice cream spot is all about the memories. Maybe because you’ve walked there, or your mom and dad took you in the family wagon, or it’s just Tuesday. 1400 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.

9. Olive oil ice cream at Screaming Mimi’s. It’s no surprise that Food & Wine magazine has named this Sebastopol ice cream spot one of the best in America. There’s always a line, there are always kids with messy chocolate grins, and there’s always a new flavor to try. When it comes to rich, dark chocolate, there’s always Mimi’s Mud or Deep Dark Secret. 6902 Sebastopol. Ave., Sebastopol, 823-5902.

10. Black cherry amaretto gelato at Häagen-Dazs. Did you know the company’s name was made up by the founders in 1961, and become synonymous with rich, artisan ice creams long before that was a thing? 1071 Santa Rosa Plaza, Santa Rosa, 545-2722.

Yogurt and Gelato

11. Vanilla/chocolate swirl frozen yogurt with maraschino cherries and Sour Patch Kids at Menchie’s. There are more toppings than you can possibly mix in without going into a sugar coma. Pineapple sorbet is another favorite. 2188 Santa Rosa Ave., at Santa Rosa Marketplace. 545-9866.

12. Berry patch tart yogurt at Moxie’s. 8930 Brooks Road, South, Windsor, 836-1665.

13. Classic tart yogurt at Yogurt Farms. It’s just that, classic and tart like real yogurt, lovable it for its simplicity. Get Hawaiian shave ice here as well. 1224 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa, 576-0737.

14. Taro and milk tea fro yo at Tutti Frutti. Fascinating Asian flavors worth a sample. 1425 Fulton Road, Santa Rosa, 988-3737.

15. Ghirardelli chocolate with pretzels at Honeymoon Frozen Yogurt. This local yogurt shop is a favorite because of its organic ingredients and commitment to local farms. Plus, its open until 10 p.m. 7108 Bodega Ave., Sebastopol, 829-9866.

16. Raspberry gelato at Powell’s Sweet Shop. 720 McClelland, Windsor, 836-0808.

Traditionalists

17. Banana split at Lala’s Creamery. This spot looks like the soda fountains of old, with a marble-topped bar and brick walls, but in addition to the traditional confections, is serves up unique flavors like horchata, honey goat cheese and dairy free lemon curd chia seed. 134 Petaluma Blvd. North, Petaluma, 763-5252.

18. Blackberry swirl at Petaluma Creamery. This historic creamery still makes housemade ice cream along with Spring Hill cheese. Most popular is the lavender ice cream, but Meyer lemon also is a contender. 711 Western Ave., Petaluma, 762-9038.

19. Cookie Sundae at Shuffles Magical Ice Cream Shoppe. Magic and ice cream collide like a tasty Reese’s peanut butter cup at this entertainment venue. Recently relocated to Railroad Square, it has the usual chocolate, cherry and bubblegum flavors along with unique creations like orange tarragon zest, avocado lime, double fudge bacon and espresso chip. 123 Fourth St., Santa Rosa, 544-3535.

The Wow Factor

Customized ice cream? Your choice of mix-ins added to ice cream or yogurt are at these ice cream stops.

20. Fudge brownie batter ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. Yes, it’s a chain, but there’s probably one near you. And sometimes you just need a warm churro sundae. Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Petaluma locations, coldstonecreamery.com.

21. Ice cream nachos at Flavors Unlimited. This favorite stop after a long day on the river adds fruit or candies to ice cream. Or you can go whole hog and try the ice cream nachos with ice cream, broken waffle cones, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream and cherries. 16450 Main St., Guerneville, 869-2927.

Liquid Nitrogen

22. Espresso almond at NitroKarma. Two former social workers have opened this pop-up ice cream shop at Dave’s Market and Deli, stirring up “happy scoops of delicious and delectably darn good delights.” Pick from various add-ins to create a stellar personal creation in seconds. At Dave’s Market 1-9 p.m. Friday through Sunday, 320 W. Third St., Santa Rosa, 542-8333; or at the Wednesday Night Market in Santa Rosa.

23. Fresh strawberry custard with cheesecake pieces at SubZero Ice Cream. Choose your base (yogurt, custard or nondairy), a flavoring and mix-ins that include bubblegum, mints, gummy bears or chocolates. 6760 McKinley St., Sebastopol, 823-9376.

South of the Border

24. Cinnamon tortilla ice cream at Frozen Art. The Alcazars have been making Michoacana-style ice creams since 2011, originally as La Real Michoacana, and they continue to expand their line-up of 40-plus flavors. It now includes maple bacon, lemon olive oil, zinfandel chocolate chip, champagne and Gansito, a Twinkie-like cake popular in Mexico. The family comes from Tocumbo, Mexico’s ice cream-making capital. 500 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa.

25. Mangonada at Fru-Ta. This mango puree is topped by with chamoy, lemon and salt, making it totally crave-worthy. Their unique ice cream flavors include rose petal,  guava, tequila, guanaba, chongo zamorano and mamey. 2770 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa, 542-6026, and 279 N. McDowell, Petaluma.

26. Pineapple paletas at La Michoacana. You can’t miss this ice cream spot’s bright pink and orange exterior. It’s best known for fruit paletas, or frozen ice pops. 18495 Highway 12, Sonoma, 938-1773.

A Few More We Had to Add

27. Spicy chocolate at Companey’s Ice Cream Cafe. It’s the favorite flavor. 8252 Old Redwood Hwy., Cotati, 242-6359.

28. Sour plum slush at Quickly. A surprise treat from the Taiwanese bubble tea shop. 1880 Mendocino Ave., Santa Rosa; 1451 Southwest Blvd., Rohnert Park.

29. Sundae becomes Fundae at Sift. The cupcake place takes two scoops of Three Twins ice cream (salted caramel, brownie, cookies and cream, vanilla), raspberry or chocolate sauce, whipped cream, a cherry and a Sift treat like a macaroon, cookie, cruffle, blondie or cupcake. Three Sonoma County locations (Santa Rosa, Cotati and Petaluma).

30. Strawberry ice cream with real strawberries at Oliver’s Market. Students and weary moms know that there are $1 scoops of ice cream at the coffee counter. Not everyone knows, so impress your friends by buying a round or two. 560 Montecito Center, Santa Rosa, 537-7123.

31. Salted Caramel frozen yogurt at Yogurt Time. It will melt in your mouth and leave you craving more, so get an extra cup for the freezer. 531 Summerfield Road, Santa Rosa, 539-7876.

Did we miss one of your very favorite spots, or flavors? Add you thoughts below. Because no scoop should get left behind.

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FOR 30 YEARS, the old bank building on Guerneville’s downtown strip stood vacant. After a meticulous renovation by Bob Pullum, who purchased it in 2014 without having seen the interior, the 1921 Carl I. Warnecke-designed building debuted in spring 2015 as the Guerneville Bank Club, a collective retail and art gallery space.

“I wanted to create a destination spot with something for everybody,” said Pullum, a creative director in advertising and part-time Guerneville resident since 2000. Crista Luedtke — owner of boon eat + drink, boon hotel + spa and El Barrio lounge in Guerneville — was his consulting partner on the project.

In the landmark building’s new iteration, restored Douglas fir floors reflect the light shining through the original tall, arched windows. A wood teller’s counter has been converted into a bakery and cold case laden with Nimble & Finn’s ice cream and pies from San Francisco’s Chile Pies Baking Co. In the former bank president’s office is Commerce Fine Goods, a tiny shop stocked with new bohemian-style fashion and home decor.

The bank vault is now a hip turquoise photo booth with lettering and murals by San Franciscan Jessica Hische, and a back office has become the white-walled home to the Look Up art gallery. Guerneville’s history is on display with an exhibition from the Russian River Historical Society. Throughout the building, Pullum placed informational plaques he calls “historical Easter eggs.”

“I tried to be respectful by leaving certain things alone, while peeling away some of the bad renovation stuff, like the carpets that covered the original tile work,” he said. “(Guerneville residents) say it’s a fun place to bring the family, a place to create new rituals.”

16290 Main St., Guerneville, 707-666-9411, guernevillebankclub.com

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Frank makes the donuts while you sleep.

Just past midnight, 82-year-old Frank Whigham and his wife, Champa, head to their Bennett Valley bakery, The Donut Cafe, to cook up hundreds of donuts, fritters, Danish and (best of all) cinnamon twists for the next morning.

It’s grueling work — the shop opens at 5am and the couple usually work until around 4pm, getting in a few hours sleep before starting the whole process again the next day. The payoff: Donuts so good even local cardiologists are known to come in for a few.

“We have a lot of doctors,” said Whigham, grinning. Along with early morning laborers, construction workers, then school children, the mid-morning business folks and coffee-sipping crowd and the later lunchtime nibblers, there’s a steady stream of folks walking out with pink boxes or just sitting around the tables having coffee and donuts.

Suffice to say Whigham’s built up a loyal following in the four years since opening in Santa Rosa. But fans know to come early, because his popular twists tend to run out early.

“We do everything the old fashioned way,” said Whigham, who’s a stickler for details like using real pastry cream, jellies and from-scratch ingredients. Including real cinnamon for his crispy twists.

Whigham’s been in the biz since he was 9, learning the trade in his uncle’s Georgia bakery. “I also learned to drive in Georgia,” he says with just a hint of his southern twang, “My uncles were moonshiners.” In San Francisco, he joined the baker’s union (illegally) at 15, was busted and sent back to school, and eventually ended up with 5 bakeries in Daly City. If you get him going, he’ll gladly tell you about a lifetime of adventures — from playing with Confederate dollars as a kid to teaching donut making in Saudi Arabia.

And in a place and time where sugary, glutenous, calorie-laden treats have almost become verboten, it’s refreshing to find a little corner of the world where old-fashioned morning pastries are still made — and accepted — with love. “I never get tired of donuts. I still eat five or six a day,” said the octogenarian.

Maybe there’s something to enjoying a little sweetness in life — in moderation of course. You can ask the doctors walking out with a bear claw or jelly donut the next time you’re there.

Donut Cafe: 4275 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, 539-2416.

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