Sonoma Coast’s Twofish Baking keeps customers coming back

Some come to the northern part of the Sonoma County coast to look for whales while others come to stay, or ogle, at fancy houses in the tiny community of Sea Ranch.

Many, however, come for something far tastier. They come for sticky buns.

Not just any sticky buns, mind you. Legendary sticky buns. The kind that are so gooey that you have to lick homemade caramel off your fingers. The kind that are so delicious that they make your eyes roll back in your head after every bite. The kind you think about every time you crave something sweet.

These treats are among the signature items at Twofish Baking, the women-owned and women-operated bake shop inside the 153-year-old Stewarts Point General Store in the heart of Stewarts Point on Highway 1. In a sense, they are the items that in recent years have quite literally put this tiny community on the tourist map.

Indeed, while other area-destinations have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, Twofish has survived. According to co-owner Margaret Smith, business sagged right after lockdown in spring 2020, but with a PPP loan and steady traffic, the bakery is back to where it would be at this point in a normal year.

“People from all over the Bay Area are coming to Sonoma County, which has been good for us,” she said, noting that the bakery did close for a few weeks at the start of the year. “We’ve been very lucky.”

Humble beginnings

Smith and her partner, in business and life, Hilla Ahvenainen founded Twofish Baking back in 2003.

At first, the bakery was located up in Sea Ranch, in the corner of a nondescript strip mall. The vibe was intimate — an open kitchen enabled customers to see Smith rolling baguettes and making bread. Though there wasn’t much seating, locals loved coming in, buying coffee and lingering over gluten.

Gradually, Smith and Ahvenainen transformed the space into something more welcoming. They hired a local carpenter to build a counter where they displayed cases of treats. The business became “the local spot” for residents of Sea Ranch, die-hards from Gualala and points up north. Because the customer base was small, the bakers always tried to bake for the day so they wouldn’t have leftovers.

After 12 years, the Sea Ranch space started feeling small. The customer base had grown dramatically but seating was still at a premium. Smith and Ahvenainen started thinking it might be time to expand.

They dabbled with a bakery in San Francisco, but the logistics of transporting fresh bread from Sonoma County were challenging at best. Then they were invited to rent the circa-1868 Stewarts Point store. The opportunity seemed almost too good to be true.

“Being in the general store, in a place that sees tons of people every day, is a totally different experience for us,” Smith said. “It’s fun, it’s exciting and it still gives us the chance to do what we like to do.”

Sure, there were hiccups. For starters, the building needed repairs and equipment upgrades, which got done. Then, there was the benevolent ghost, who Ahvenainen affectionately refers to as Stewie.

Maureen Simons became a Twofish customer in the Sea Ranch days. She has been a fan of the bakery and the women behind it ever since.

“They have a standard of quality that’s amazing,” said Simons, who has lived full-time in Sea Ranch since she lost her Mark West home in the Tubbs fire. “I love when I’m outside and I see people come out with a sandwich and take their first bite and stare at it like, ‘What is this place?’ That’s when you know they’re hooked.”

Nibbles and community

Today Twofish offers a veritable smorgasbord of options.

Baked goods are still the main attraction; in addition to the mouth-watering sticky buns every Sunday, Smith makes pulla , a Finnish cardamom coffee bread that is akin to a brioche with pearl sugar on top.

Smith and Ahvenainen also make and sell a variety of breads. Baguettes and wheat bread are available every day, while other options including sourdough, rosemary raisin, multigrain, kalamata olive, challah and others are only available on certain days. Prices on the breads range from $4.50 to $6.75.

The bakery also peddles breakfast burritos, stratas, calzones, a soup of the day and sandwiches. The BLT is a fan favorite.

Every Friday, the Twofish team makes what they call “warm-up ready” pizzas that customers can purchase and heat up at home. Flavors vary but often include veggie, Italian with pepperoni, everything and white. Additional toppings also are available for guests to order or purchase separately.

Chris Garris is the cook who prepares a lot of the takeaway food — he usually prepares a few grab-and-go take-home meals as well. Earlier this week Garris put together a chile relleno casserole that was easily enough food for two people.

“It’s really nice to know that with (Garris’) cooking and the baked goods, we can offer people a whole range of items when they stop by,” Smith said.

In addition to all the food and a modest store, Twofish provides locals with a sense of camaraderie.

Ahvenainen said the bakery remains a favorite spot among locals, and is often most crowded before 9 a.m. as residents of Stewarts Point, Sea Ranch, Jenner and even Gualala come in for coffee, goodies and heated conversation.

The Twofish women also have dedicated themselves to giving back to those along the coast.

Earlier in the pandemic, for instance, when a health clinic in Gualala was doling out vaccines, Smith and Ahvenainen provided free coffee and pastries to the volunteers every day. The duo didn’t do this as a marketing ploy; they did it to thank volunteers for serving the greater good. They also didn’t tell anyone they were doing it; even now, this reporter had to uncover details from others in the community.

What’s next

While Twofish appears to have survived the pandemic, the bakery isn’t without its challenges.

First is the location — unless you’re a local or you’re driving the coast on Highway 1, the bakery isn’t exactly easy to get to.

For Smith and Ahvenainen , another challenge is staffing. The bakery currently has a staff of five — one less than it had for the duration of the pandemic and three or four fewer than Ahvenainen said she’d like to have in total.

The problem: Finding skilled workers who want to work has been difficult.

In the face of these potential pitfalls, Smith and her partner are moving forward into the post-pandemic reality the same way they always have — with passion, humility, hard work and a commitment to excellence.

“We love what we do and love making people happy,” Smith said. “That’s really what it should be about.”