Hi Bold Bakers! Small businesses are the heart of community and thanks to Google, I was fortunate enough to take a step in the kitchen of one of my favorite small businesses. Here in Santa Monica, California, resides warm and welcoming Huckleberry Bakery & Cafe. Partners, and husband-and-wife team, Josh Loeb and Zoe Nathan opened Huckleberry in February 2009 as a natural extension to their existing Rustic Canyon restaurant, with an added emphasis on exceptional daytime options for breakfast, brunch, and lunch. Having won widespread acclaim for her pastries, desserts and breads as the former pastry chef at Rustic Canyon, Zoe envisions Huckleberry as a local destination for outstanding, seasonal cuisine in a casual and community-centric environment. Already have an account? Huckleberry solely uses freshly grown and in-season produce from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market and from other nearby producers; local and environmental support being a value core to their identity. I was fortunate to stand alongside Head of Bakery Operations, Laurel Almerinda as she worked fresh, handmade dough into a beautiful Strawberry and Rhubarb Crostata.
Rich golden butter peeks through the handcrafted dough – Laurel’s (and my) ideology being that underworked dough makes for the best pastry. The mixture is gorgeous – the hues of red and purple are striking from the fresh produce. Vibrant house made jam melds the fruit and vegetable together and salt well-seasons this pastry. Laurel, and Huckleberry, are clearly passionate about what they’re doing and, with a heavenly bite, it’s clear to me why I’ve always come back to Huckleberry.
Fortunately, you don’t need to worry if you can’t make it to Santa Monica to delve into this sweet perfection. Laurel and Huckleberry were kind enough to offer the recipe to you Bold Bakers. Enjoy!
