Head baker Walter Chumley starts work at 2 a.m. every day to fill the cases with eclairs, cheery miniature tarts, fat whoopie pies and big, glossy croissants sometimes stuffed and topped with almond or fruit and ricotta filling by the 6 a.m. opening time. The slightly salty buttermilk biscuit with honey and fig jam is utterly satisfying with crusty edge and tender middle. The shells of the traditional cannoli with chocolate chip and citron-dotted ricotta filling break with that unmistakable muted crunch for which there must be a word for in Italian or ASMR lingo. “It’s very classic,” says Valk.
There are more
whimsical rotating specials, like doughnuts topped with chopped Skor bars (an
underrated candy), tea from Humboldt Herbals and coffee custom blended for Il
Forno by Signature Coffee in Redway. For lunch, the kitchen offers grab-and-go
salads, charcuterie boxes and sandwiches. Valk says, “I want it to be as little
wait time as possible … you’re in and out in 10 minutes.” What you won’t find
is a basket of yesterday’s treats. “We never sell day-old pastries, I donate
them to the hospital at the end of the day,” she says. “They get very excited.”
Valk herself is
partial to the tomato, mushroom, caramelized onion and cheese croissant, though
the frittata is her go-to for breakfast. The contrast between the relatively
luxurious offerings in her shop and the shuttered storefronts on the town’s
main drag isn’t lost on her. “That’s really what we wanted to offer — something
wonderful. Garberville doesn’t have to be [as sparse] as it is, people deserve
something wonderful.”
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