the canyon bakery

I love when I find a cute spot with tasty eats in my neighborhood. Perhaps because there aren’t all that many options here in Topanga? The Canyon Bakery is a local bakery churning out freshly milled whole grain baked goods, naturally leavened breads, pastries & pizzas here in the canyon! They take online orders for Friday pick ups, but currently are only “open” as a weekend pop up, aka Sunday Fundays! After stalking their Instagram for a while, we finally made it over to try out the goods. Their freshly milled Hundo whole grain Sonora cinnamon rolls had caught my eye, so that was a must order, and it did not disappoint! The giant spinach & cheese spelt croissant swirl was flakey and delicious as well. Talk about up my alley!

If you’re a fan of freshly baked breads, definitely grab a loaf or two to take home. The sprouted ancient grain and the chocolate cherry rye loaves were both big hits in our house, whether turned into a sandwich or eaten alone! There are plenty of gluten free things on the menu as well, including bagels, muffins and a millet bread, so don’t feel like you have to miss out if you happen to have a sensitivity to wheat or gluten. I’m also happy to see that on subsequent trips, The Canyon Bakery seems to be expanding their menu a bit, to include exciting things like whole grain focaccias studded with purple potatoes & castelvetrano olives, apricot jam brioche buns with creme fraiche & mint, and roasted shallot & gruyere buns! Next on my list to try are their Hundo spelt pizzas! Yum!

clark street bakery

clark street bakery swedish buns

Some of y’all might not know, but I was actually born in Sweden! Although my family is not technically Swedish (my parents were just living there while my dad was doing his fellowship to become a doctor), I always say we are “wannabe-Swedes”. My parents speak the language, my brother just did a masters program there, and we’ve been back to visit numerous times over the years. Plus, we all tend to thoroughly enjoy Scandinavian cuisine! That’s where Clark Street Bakery comes in- it’s been one of my absolute favorites since coming to Los Angeles, and I love the nod to my “homeland”.

Clark Street was started by Zack Hall back in 2014. After spending the summer at his wife's family's town working in a wood-fired bakery in the Swedish countryside and falling in love with the craft, Hall returned home to become a full-time bread baker. Clark Street has since grown into a full fledged bakery offering plenty of Swedish delights in addition to more traditional French pastries, as well as freshly baked sourdough. I love stopping by for breakfast or lunch, or simply a quick coffee and pastry to-go. Offering everything from kanelbulle (Swedish cinnamon buns) and kouign-amann to seasonal salads and sandwiches, you’re sure to find something up your alley. I personally can’t pass up the perfectly spiced Swedish cardamom bun nor the totally flaky almond croissant (just look at those layers!) whenever I’m there. The dark rye brownie is hard to beat as well- OMG so fudgy! I’m happy to report my toddler is a huge fan as well- can you tell by the photos?!- so visits to Clark Street may just become our new favorite mommy & son activity. PS- Any local, aspiring bread bakers out there? Clark Street offers free sourdough starter with any purchase so you can bake fresh bread at home! Our starter recently died after being neglected during our move (RIP Gustafson), so I plan to pick up a fresh starter soon. I’ve been missing homemade sourdough like woah!

1802 roasters

I love a cute coffee shop, but there aren’t really any in my neighborhood within walking distance. Until now, that is! 1802 Roasters in Cypress Park has been roasting their own beans just down the street from me for a while, but previously had only been available for purchase at farmers markets around LA. They’ve been working to open a brick and mortar spot, even hosting weekend pop ups in their parking lot while construction on the cafe was still underway. The beautiful space is finally ready, thank heavens, and although they’re still only open on weekends (for now!), stopping by for a coffee has quickly become one of my favorite weekend morning activities. 1802 Roasters sources some delicious beans- from Guatemala to Peru to Costa Rica, and roasts them fresh on-site. I highly recommend picking up a bag to take home so you can get your fix during the week as well. My standard order of an Americano with steamed oat milk always hits the spot, and the pastries, sourced from Frog’s Bakery and Farmshop, are fresh and delicious as well. I’m partial to the pistachio morning bun, vegan almond croissant, and pumpkin ginger muffin! Yum! Definitely stop by next time you’re looking for a top notch coffee on the east side.