Stirring up the holidays with flavorful cookies
Woodland bakery Stirred, Not Shaken delivers plenty of variety
Although owner Dan Ponticello is “sad for Cookie Connection and all their fans,” himself included. His cookie spot, Stirred, Not Shaken, recently took over the old Cookie Connection building at 710 Main St., and is offering deals for the holidays.
The James Bond- inspired cookie company will be offering discounts on curated holiday packages up to 24% off of preorders made before Dec. 10. Discounts typically save $ 8 per dozen.
Stirred, Not Shaken has over two dozen types of cookies for people to choose from, featuring bacon chocolate chip and a rotating garlic snickerdoodle inspired by the Gilroy Garlic Festival. They also serve a number of vegan options and have a gluten free chocolate chip cookie.
The bakery has been operating in San Francisco since 2016, where it’s strictly by delivery out of a commercial kitchen.
Owner Dan Ponticello, a native of Woodland, said he has always “done whatever interests ( him) as ( he’s) gone through life,” and his resume proves that. Ponticello is an alumnus of UC Berkeley with a degree in political science. After graduation, he was hired as a math teacher at a private high school in the Bay Area and started developing apps on the side.
It was during this time that he started baking.
“While I was a teacher I started baking just at my apartment and all my roommates loved the cookies and I was just doing tons of different
experiments with recipes and stuff,” Ponticello said. “It kind of just went from there. It’s been really strange the way it’s all played out.”
After five years of teaching, Ponticello got a job as an accountant for The Slanted Door restaurant group in the Bay Area and owner, Charles Phan, allowed him to work out of the commercial kitchen. After that, Ponticello explained, his business
“spiraled upward.”
He said that when Cookie Connection temporarily closed its doors in June and then permanently in October, he saw an opportunity.
Of course, that decision was made before COVID- 19 ravaged the country and introduced various levels of stay- at- home orders in Yolo County. Ponticello was almost done preparing for his shop to open before the pandemic hit.
“We were getting really close to finalizing things around, I’d say February like we had to get the new floor in, a lot of things for the health department and then the pandemic hit,” Ponticello said. “So we kind of put it on pause for a few months and then we were like ‘ well, this might never end’ so we opened at the very end of July.”
Stirred, Not Shaken is
really a family operation. Ponticello's partner, Jaclyn Hughes, a graphic designer, helped design the interior. She also designed the website.
is mother, Shelly Ponticello, painted the space “almost single- handedly,” according to her son. She's also been helping out at the spot.
“She's honestly one of the hardest workers I know,” Ponticello said of his mother who told him she's willing to help out, but doesn't want to be there permanently. “I'm worried about the day I replace her, because I think it's going to take about two or three people to replace her.”
Hughes also helped curate a coffee menu for the store. She and Ponticello regularly visited cafes in San Francisco, and decided to create a menu for themselves. They offer a variety of hot and iced lattes, including s'mores and gingerbread lattes, and plan on adding an eggnog latte for the holidays. Dairy- free milks are available.
Coffee served is from Contraband Coffee, a roastery based in San Francisco.
Once it is safe to do so, the café will offer seating both downstairs and in a loft area at the back of the store.
For now, Stirred, Not Shaken is open for takeout and pickup at the Woodland location Tuesday through Thursday from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. and Friday from 8 a. m. to 3 p. m. They also offer delivery in the Bay Area and Sacramento. To order, visit their website at www. stirredcookies. com or text or call ( 415) 993- 2007.
All locations are planning a post- holiday break from Dec. 24 to Jan. 31.