Owner Amy Dixon has relocated her bakery/eatery two blocks up from its original location to the historic building that formerly housed the Santa Cota Market on Sagunto Street in Santa Ynez.
Dixon operated The Baker’s Table on Numancia Street for almost 10 years, she said.
A substantial remodel — “from the footings to the roof” — started in September 2020, but supplies were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new site is 4,500 square feet, while the Numancia Street space was approximately 3,000, she said.
“I’m excited to be in this spot, and I want to respect this building and its history,” Dixon said.
Nicole Peña and her husband, Ben, operated a deli and flower shop from the Santa Cota Market, according to a Facebook post by the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce. “Santa Cota Market” remains painted above the door at The Baker’s Table in a nod to the building’s history.
Dixon said she relishes being part of the Santa Ynez Valley community: “Getting to know residents is super rewarding.”
She estimated that The Baker’s Table’s customer base is roughly 70% locals and 30% tourists.
Her staff is made up of 15 people, most of them full time, but “I could use 20!” Of the 15, she said, five are bakers who work either overnight shifts or start at 3 a.m. in order to fulfill Dixon’s bread orders.
Dixon usually bakes alongside her crew, but she’s down a delivery driver and also helps staff the front of the house.
Among her 27 South Coast and Santa Ynez Valley clients are all of the Panino shops, both Jane locations, Summerland’s Field and Fort, the Montecito Village Market, the Daisy, Leonardo’s, Industrial Eats and Grappolo, Dixon said.
Dixon, a native of San Diego and a Santa Ynez Valley resident since 1998, graduated from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, and then fulfilled a bread and pastry internship. She later took pastry classes at the San Francisco Baking Institute.
What’s Dixon’s favorite to bake? “Croissants — but it’s a love-hate relationship,” she said with a laugh. Also among her favorites are the loaves of bread known as country levain.
“I love to feed people, and I love to offer good products,” she said.
Current hours at The Baker’s Table are 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Dixon said she plans to expand her hours to include Sundays and broaden her menu once she can boost her staff.
— Laurie Jervis tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.