What hasn’t changed is that the bakery remains a point of pride for Forestville. I don’t think we’re back to pre-COVID numbers as far as production goes. “COVID was hard, and we’re coming back from that. She’s spruced up the store front and counter to welcome customers back after doing pick-up orders from the doorway during the height of the pandemic. More recently, Frost leaned on the community with a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to refresh the store and also buy a new generator so the bakery can operate during power shut-offs. “Customers were excited about more variation.” We added new products, more pastries, different varieties of bread,” Frost said. “I fiddled with some recipes to get them to my liking. Frost wanted to nurture those established relationships, so changes have come slowly. Thorp was a well-loved member of the community. Frost, a graduate of Santa Rosa Junior College’s baking program, had worked at the bakery for about two years before she took over. Owner Jessie Frost has weathered all that since buying the bakery in 2018 from Beth Thorp, a retired nurse who opened Nightingale in 2008. and A La Heart Catering, not to mention fires, floods and the pandemic, Nightingale has been a constant, comforting presence. Through the closures of favorites like Twist Eatery and Backyard to the newly opened Sonoma Pizza Co. The bakery is a cornerstone of the food renaissance taking place along a three-block stretch of the town’s main thoroughfare. “It’s one of the only food outlets that we have that’s lasted.” “We’re lucky to have had Nightingale this long,” she said. She visits this fixture of Forestville’s food scene weekly, sometimes more. One of those local regulars is Chenoa Montiel. Lines at the Forestville bakery, which is open less than 20 hours a week, are often steady, filled with locals who are regular customers, tourists, runners and bikers using the nearby West County trail and curious coastbound travelers who make a pit stop to see what all the fuss is about. On a recent Sunday morning, at least a dozen people stood outside Nightingale Breads waiting for the tiny bakery to open its doors so they could be among the first to choose from freshly baked scones, sourdoughs and sweet baguettes.
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