Couple turns to Kickstarter for bakery oven

A Healdsburg couple who want to open a New Zealand-style bakery with artisan bread, meat pies and sweets in Windsor has raised enough money on Kickstarter to finance a key ingredient - a steam pipe oven with enough room to bake them all.

Bobbi and Warren Burton’s BurtoNZ Bakery is under construction right next to the Safeway on Brooks Road South. The lease has been paid, and they hope to have a “soft opening” in late October and a grand opening by Thanksgiving. But first they needed $35,000 in pledges by 5 p.m. Monday. They achieved that goal, with $39,654 from 326 backers.

Warren, a New Zealand native, has wanted to come to America since he was 7, so much so that he entered coloring contests to win a trip to Disneyland.

“I was born in the wrong country,” he says.

His job selling grape harvesters all over the world brought him to America, where he met Bobbi, a native of Woodland, Calif. They married, moved to New Zealand and opened a bakery. While holding onto his full-time job, Warren honed his skills by baking local specialties and Bobbi mastered decoration and presentation.

Two years ago they moved back to America so Warren could learn to bake artisan breads at the San Francisco Baking Institute, and in July 2013, he quit his vintners job after 20 years so they could open their own bakery and artisan bread shop.

The menu is ready to go, with steak and cheese pie, steak and potato top pies, bacon and egg pies, mince and cheese pies and sausage rolls. Deserts will include New Zealand custard squares, fresh cream New Zealand donuts with strawberry and raspberry, fruit-filled Danish and Brioche and Brioche tarts.

French bread, cheese and bacon loaf, olive loaf, wine, cheese and salami bread and cheese, Pinot and salami bread will be among the different, weekly artisan breads.

The Burtons also will offer organic and gluten-free breads and vegetarian pies and quiches.

While there isn’t a sizable Australian or New Zealand community in the North Bay Area, there are many Fijians who have lived in New Zealand and Australia, Warren said. The Burtons also are counting on Sonoma County locals to experience and learn to appreciate their specialties.

But first comes the Italian four-deck steam oven with integrated loader, a “stunning piece of equipment will truly be the heart of the bakery.”

BurtoNZ Bakery is located at 9076 Brooks Road S., 687-5455, burtonzbakery.com. For information about the campaign, visit kickstarter.com/projects/burtonz/burtonz-bakery or facebook.com/BurtoNZbakery.