An expert’s scoop on Surf City
Owner of popular Penny Ice Creamery dishes on community’s awesomeness
Chef Kendra Baker’s first memories of Santa Cruz are of sitting as a child in the backseat of her family’s car, heading south from their Sacramento home to hike Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park or scream their lungs out on the historic wooden roller coaster on the Boardwalk.
The laid-back, beachside community, with its rich agricultural heritage, made such a lasting impression that Baker chose to attend UC Santa Cruz, majoring in chemistry before switching to language studies.
When it came time to open her first business after attending Johnson & Wales culinary program in Rhode Island, and working at Tartine in San Francisco and Manresa in Los Gatos, there was no doubt where she would do it. She and longtime friend Zachary Davis chose Santa Cruz, of course, to open the Penny Ice Creamery in 2010.
“People are really supportive of each other here. It’s a great environment for growing a business,’’ says Baker, 37, who is raising two young children with her husband, Nick Gallant, a songwriter-musician and audio director at Disney. “Santa Cruz felt like home, like where we wanted to root ourselves.’’
Besides the popular scoop shop, Baker now also oversees her farm-driven bistro Assembly, the Picnic Basket cafe steps from the Boardwalk, and the PopUp events space.
“The people here are so passionate,’’ she says. “It keeps me inspired and wanting to be involved in the community.’’