Artisan Bread and Pastry Shop Rising in Bird Rock

With the upcoming opening of Wayfarer Bread & Pastry, founder Crystal White is fulfilling her lifelong dream of owning a bakery. White, who has been baking professionally for 16 years, co-created Proof Bakery in Los Angeles and spent five years working at San Francisco’s Tartine Bakery, eventually becoming one of acclaimed spot’s lead bread bakers.

She landed in San Diego last May, excited to help grow local access to artisan-made bread, and immediately began the search for a storefront. In the meantime, White launched weekly pop-ups on Fridays at OB Beans in Ocean Beach and Sundays at Ironsmith Coffee Roasters in Encinitas. She recently found a place to land on La Jolla Boulevard in Bird Rock, and buoyed by a successful Kickstarter campaign, has been updating the 1,600-square-foot space that will feature Wayfarer’s bread oven in the center of the dining room — the literal heart of the bakery.

Small batches of handmade bread, including rustic sourdough, multi seed, and olive, will be baked fresh daily, with warm loaves available throughout the day. White was trained in traditional European style — her favorite item to bake is a baguette — but likes to get creative with flavors and highlight local organic ingredients. She also plans to spotlight different heirloom grains, which will be featured monthly in a special loaf. Her flaky croissants have become extremely popular, so expect variations ranging from classic to strawberry-pistachio, mushroom-havarti, and vanilla-almond-rose. Other pastries will include scones and galettes.

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When it opens in mid-May, Wayfarer Bread & Pastry will be open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Along with bread and pastries, the menu will include toasts, sandwiches at breakfast and lunch, and salads. White, who was raised in Napa, California, will pour wine and local craft brews, as well as some beer from North California, while Ironsmith Roasters will run the coffee program.

Wayfarer’s pop-ups in Ocean Beach and Encinitas will continue, and White tells Eater that she plans to do some wholesale with select restaurants; the bread can currently be found at Charles & Dinorah at The Pearl Hotel.