Jessie Frost, Nightingale Breads
The main focus for Nightingale is handmade, organic breads. They make everything from scratch, with great care and dedication. Baking bread is a labor of love: sometimes meaning long hours, early mornings, and heavy lifting, but for owner Jessie Frost and her team, it’s all worth it for that moment when they pull beautifully browned loaves from the wood-fired oven, and hear the delighted reactions of customers and friends. The bakery has slowly built its success over the years, becoming a must-stop in Forestville, frequented by Sonoma County locals and visitors. In this Member Spotlight, we chat with Jessie about her background, the creativity inherent to baking, and the importance of community.
Farm Trails member since 2014
Nightingale Breads, 6665 Front St., Forestville, CA 95436; nightingalebreads.com
How did you get interested in starting your business?
I attended the Santa Rosa Junior College fresh out of high school and was instantly attracted to baking as a career. I completed the baking and pastry certificate through their culinary arts program and landed my first job at age 19 at wood-fired, organic sourdough bread bakery in Point Reyes Station named Brickmaiden Breads. From there, I worked various jobs at other small bakery businesses, and eventually found myself baking at Nightingale Breads. I worked for the bakery for a few years until the previous owner decided to sell, and then I purchased it from her.
What do you do?
We make organic, artisan breads baked in a wood-fired oven. We make a wide range of a variety of breads, as well as a few sweet treats. We focus on seasonality for our specials and incorporate locally grown fruits and veggies whenever possible. We also sell a selection of locally made products and accompaniments to go with our breads, such as cheeses, jams, spreads, salamis, and honey.
What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Making food to our feed our community is what keeps me going. I also love the continuous creative pursuit of baking from scratch and developing fun new ways to incorporate locally sourced seasonal ingredients into what we are making. I love food and community and I love sharing it with others!
What do you value about being a member of Farm Trails?
I value Farm Trails mission to support local agriculture and to bring consumers closer to the food they are buying. I think there’s great value in growing our local food economy and strengthening the connection between farmers/local businesses to their customers.
What are your hopes for the future of your business and/or Sonoma County ag?
To keep growing the way we are sounds like a nice future. I’d like to continue baking bread for my community, supporting people in what ways we are able, and continuing to focus on supporting locally made/locally grown food and paying our staff a living wage.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in your line of business?
This is a tough one. Biggest advice is think about what you love to do, and do that. Running a small business is not for everyone and while it can be incredibly rewarding, it can also be extremely tough. Find people to help you who share your vision and lean on the support of your community — be it family or friends or professional resources. If you’re just getting started in baking — go for it! Baking for a living (while not making me millions) has been extremely rewarding. I feel like if you’ve found your passion and it works for your lifestyle, you should pursue it. I’ve found that what I like doing most in life is creating with my hands — be it gardening, floristry, art, or baking, and I can’t imagine my life any other way. I think this most days that I go to work and bake, or working alongside my staff shaping baguettes. What a joy!
All photos except of storefront and featured image by Lisa Rose / The Farmers Photographer. Photo of storefront and featured image courtesy of Nightingale Breads.