Pastry perfect

By: Peter Posert

For almost three decades, there has been a singular bakery serving up high-quality croissants and pastries in St. Helena, California and now its footprint is doubling to offer an outlet a quick stroll off of 1st Street and onto McKinstry Street.

Model Bakery and its croissants represent one of the best menu offerings in the Western Hemisphere – ask for one warmed up and you will be thrilled with a morning culinary delight that few can match.

There is a sense that the artisanal craft of baking is part of a family tradition, of time-honored recipes often handed down through generations, parent to child, that you can taste, and feel is different from just another donut hole shop. 

You feel this generational intensity for baking in dishes such as the apple butterhorn pastry at Model. Not too sweet, the pastry is mouthwateringly flavorful and a spectacular tart. It is the same with the raspberry pastry, too – mild-mannered and delicious.

There are plenty of other delicious items too, including loaves of bread, pizzas for lunch, as well as English muffins beloved by celebrities and locals. Model Bakery is an ageless treat for the senses and a ‘must stop’ for food and cuisine adventurers of all ages and tastes.