We recently had the opportunity to connect with Ryan from Bernal Bakery. Despite being established during the challenging times of the pandemic, Ryan and his partner Daniella have become a testament to resilience and adaptability in entrepreneurship.
In 2020, due to the pandemic, my partner and I lost our jobs in the restaurant industry. To bring in income, we started baking bread and offering it to our neighbors in Bernal Heights. We developed a pulley system that kept everyone safe and lowered bread from our apartment to the street.
It started small, just baking a few loaves of sourdough for the neighbors, but as word spread, the community almost instantly adopted us and started pouring in their support.
Bernal Bakery was up to its neck in orders within a few days!
We expanded our menu to offer sourdough cinnamon rolls, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, etc.
What are your signature baked goods and most popular items on the menu
Our signature baked goods would have to be our naturally leavened sourdough bread. Our traditional country loaf is our number one seller. We are also well known for our sourdough cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies, and laminated products.
How often do you introduce new items or rotate your menu offerings?
We introduce new items to the menu fairly frequently, depending on seasonality.
Can you share your sourcing process for ingredients, and do you prioritize local or organic ingredients?
We prioritize sourcing sustainable and organic ingredients. For example, the apple cider for our cider donuts is seasonal and locally sourced from farmer’s markets. Our bread and pastries also use local, California-grown, organic grain.
Are any dietary accommodations available, such as vegan, gluten-free, or nut-free options?
We do offer some dietary accommodations. For example, all of our bread is vegan. We also have many nut-free options and a gluten-free peanut butter cookie that is a crowd favorite.
How do you engage with the local community, and are there any collaborations with other local businesses or organizations?
Engaging with the local community has been a priority since the conception of Bernal Bakery. First and foremost, we live and bake here in Bernal! We have held pop-ups weekly at Charlie’s Cafe in Precita Park for almost three years! We always make it a point not only to prioritize moving our line along quickly but also to make time to catch up with the regulars. We also sell our bread at many local markets and restaurants in Bernal.
What measures do you take to ensure the freshness and quality of your baked goods?
Having a freshly baked product is a must for us. We’ve forgone many hours of sleep to be sure everything is baked fresh. When attending any of our farmer markets or pop-ups, you can be sure that everything you see is baked that day!
Where can we find you?
Wednesday:
(Starting April 5th)
Castro Farmers Market, located at 288 Noe St, San Francisco, CA 94114, 3 pm-7 pm
Thursday: (Pizza Pop-Up)
Roman Pizza Night at Little Bee Baking!
521 Cortland Ave, San Francisco, Ca 94110, 4 pm-8 pm
Friday:
Charlie’s Cafe, located at 3202 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, 8:30 am-1:00 pm
Old Oakland Farmer’s Market located at Ninth street & Washington, Oakland, CA 94607, 8:00 am-2:00 pm
Saturday:
Pleasanton farmer’s market is located at 46 W Angela Street, Pleasanton, CA 94566, 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Pre-orders are available!
College of San Mateo farmer’s market located at 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94402, 9:00 am-1:00 pm. Pre-orders are available!
Sunday:
Stonestown Farmer’s Market located at 3251 20th Ave San Francisco, CA 94132, 9:00 am-1:00 pm
Do you plan to expand, such as opening a permanent location or offering online ordering and shipping?
Late last year, we took our first steps towards laying down long-term roots here in Bernal by building a small wholesale bakery at the end of Cortland. Though we have no storefront, we can expand operations to more farmers’ markets/ pop-ups and wholesale accounts. In addition, we currently offer some online ordering for pre-order pick-ups at markets.
We also recently started a Roman Pizza Night at Little Bee Bakery every Thursday from 4-8 pm! This pizza style is sold as a take-and-bake (recommended) or hot togo! This 72-hour fermented dough is truly special and an absolute must-try! The final product is light as a feather and perfectly crispy!