Napa’s Monday Bakery
Monday Bakery is more than just a pastry shop—it's a community hub. The bakery's philosophy is to make Mondays, often the most dreaded day of the week, a little bit sweeter. And after rescuing Mondays with its delectable pastries and coffee, Monday Bakery aims to sweeten the rest of the week, too.
Sally Latimer, the owner and pastry chef of Monday Bakery, fell in love with Napa Valley and decided it was the perfect place to manifest her dream. Despite being a young chef and opening her first venture in the midst of acclaimed chefs like Cindy Pawlcyn, Christopher Kostow, and Thomas Keller, Latimer was undaunted. Her resume includes a stint at Ad Hoc, and she credits her grandmother, Julia Child, and the culinary program at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone for her success.
Latimer learned to love cooking and French cuisine from her Grandma Bella in Rhode Island. Julia Child, whom Latimer considers a hero, has had a profound impact on her culinary philosophy. Child's quote, "a party without cake is just a meeting," is framed by the bakery's door. Latimer says, "She brought the complexity of French cooking down to where people could relate to it and feel like they could do it themselves."
Latimer started her culinary career in Seattle before moving to Napa Valley. After assisting Autumn Martin at the beginning of her business, Hot Cakes Confections, Latimer was inspired to open her own bakery. She introduced her baked goods at the Napa Farmers Market, where she built her clientele and tested her recipes. Her recipes feature ingredients from local farmers, such as Rodriguez Farm strawberries and blackberries, Far West Funghi mushrooms, and Big Ranch Farm butternut squash.
Monday Bakery is less than a year old, but it has already become a community hub in downtown Napa. Behind the mint green door is an airy space decorated with bright, cheerful posters like "Bake someone happy." On a recent Sunday morning, families ate breakfast sandwiches while others typed on laptops between bites of Nutella banana bread. Latimer says, "I think one of the biggest compliments I get from people when they taste something is it reminds them of something their grandmother or aunt used to make when they were a kid."
Latimer feels fortunate to have the support of her husband, Matt, kitchen manager Lindsey De Vaul, and the rest of her hardworking team. "Being a young woman business owner, I'm super grateful for the support I've gotten from the community," says Latimer. Friendships have led to collaborations, such as a Miminashi soft cream featuring her s'mores cookies and red velvet cupcakes laced with Clif Family winery's The Climber Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend.
Monday Bakery is more than just a bakery; it's a community gathering place that brings people together to share in the joys of freshly baked pastries and a cup of coffee.
