Charles E. Hill 
Napa Valley’s famed Model Bakery will open its largest location yet in Walnut Creek later this year, bringing its famous fluffy English muffins – which made Oprah’s “favorite things” list a record four times – closer to many Bay Area residents.
Scheduled to open in late 2022, the downtown Walnut Creek Bakery (1315 N. Main St.) will operate in space formerly occupied by Mexican steakhouse La Fogata. Unlike its three locations in Napa Valley, the bakery will be able to offer plenty of seating: about 50 indoors and more on a patio and parklet. The larger dining space will also allow Model Bakery to serve a significantly expanded brunch and lunch menu. Co-owner Sarah Mitchell Hanson is considering dishes like eggs Benedict, huevos rancheros, pizzas and salads, and hopes to get a beer and wine license.
All of this, of course, plus Model’s famous jumbo English muffins, which are dusted with cornmeal and toasted in clarified butter. The bakery will sell more than a dozen varieties of organic artisan breads, pastries and cookies, like the absurdly rich chocolate rads, as well as espresso drinks using a custom roast from Seattle’s Cafe Vita.
Started by an Italian family, Model Bakery’s flagship location in St. Helena opened its doors over 100 years ago. Hanson’s mother, Karen Mitchell, took it over in 1984, and together they opened locations outside the Oxbow Public Market in Napa and inside an old wagon in Yountville. It’s also not the first Napa restaurant to expand to Walnut Creek; Bounty Hunter barbecue and wine bar opened its East Bay outpost in 2019.
Hanson said expansion plans had been underway for more than a year, with Walnut Creek chosen for its demographics and convenience. “We looked at the most common zip codes of people who visit us and buy our English muffins and the Walnut Creek and Danville area was one of the best,” she said, adding that it’s ” also a pretty quick ride to deliver bread from Napa.
Some dishes, like croissants and English muffins, will be baked fresh at Walnut Creek. “We’re pretty at the max of what we can do here in Napa,” Hanson said, noting that the bakery also ships nationwide on Goldbelly. “Some days we bake 7,000 to 8,000 English muffins. We just don’t have room for everyone.
The Walnut Creek space needs a full makeover, Hanson said, and while there will likely be a classic Model Bakery design — like the black and white checkered floors — it will also incorporate more modern, whimsical elements. . She hired Napa designer Richard Von Saal, who notably designed the Prisoner cellar.
With the opening months, Hanson is already planning more Bay Area expansion. “My goal is to develop it as much as possible,” she said. “If all goes well, we might consider going down to the peninsula, as there is a lot of demand there.”
Model bakery. Opening end of 2022. 1315 N. Main St., Walnut Creek. themodelbakery.com
Jess Lander is a staff writer for the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: [email protected]: @jesslander
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