A Model for Main Street- Winemaking Part 2

By the time four tons of grapes were picked, I was desperate for coffee and food if I was denied the option of returning to bed. Our winemaking entourage headed over to Model Bakery in St. Helena to recharge before meeting the truck at the warehouse.

The line was long, so it was a good thing that bakery appeared to run like a well-oiled machine. The group’s wait for me to decide what I wanted took longer than placing my order. The six of us lucked out and found a couple tables to push together (there are less than ten in the whole joint, one of its only downfalls- that and having no restrooms). I was excited for my mammoth croissant order, but settled for a large coffee, since they don’t serve it by the gallon.

A note about making friends at Model Bakery on a Saturday morning: make sure you’re clear on what you ordered and also the name the order is under, especially if it’s a more common name like Steve or Matt. Making friends is difficult when you take someone else’s food and start to eat it before you remember that you never ordered a breakfast sandwich. If you find yourself in that situation, just blame someone else in your group.

The most important thing was that the coffee was great- the best cup I’d had in weeks. Nothing beats the Bay Area’s Peet’s Coffee! My croissant was pretty good, but a little more cakey and a little less flaky than I prefer. I was probably flakey enough on my own.

Since I was too indecisive over choosing any of the Halloween baked goods, I was grateful Steve felt festive and ordered a biscotti shaped like a witch’s finger. Cute, huh?

Next time I need to stop in and get some amazing bread, like their Bacon-Gruyere French rolls and cheddar and jalapeños boule, or a fruit tart as beautiful as anything in a Parisian patisserie. Preferably when I’m a little more awake.