Tartine Returns to Its Marin Roots
Tartine, the bakery empire launched by Chad Robertson and Elizabeth Prueitt in West Marin, is returning to the county where it all began. This summer, Tartine will open in Mill Valley’s Strawberry Village shopping center. It’s a layered Marin homecoming – what is now Tartine began in Point Reyes Station in as Bay Village Bread in 1999, expanding in 2000 to 17 Madrona Street in Mill Valley, home of a hand-built Alan Scott oven. (Prueitt and Robertson were early Scott protégés, inspired to master the old world bread-baking techniques Scott championed.)
Mill Valley’s Tartine will function much like the Guerrero Street mothership; Guests will walk along a long pastry case to view an abundance of breads, Viennoiserie, and other treats. An open layout will enable guests to watch pastries being made. Among the “only in Mill Valley” offerings: Danish topped with Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam cheese and fresh berries. The focus on brunch and lunch includes a whipped Bellwether Farms ricotta tartine with lemon zest and crème fraiche, an egg sandwich on a sweet potato bun, or an omelet layered with sharp Cheddar, fresh herbs served with tossed salad and oat porridge toast.
Perhaps the brand’s most famous item – the country loaf – and other breads will be crafted at Tartine’s Manufactory in San Francisco. According to Pastry Operations Manager, Anna St. John, gluten-free options dreamed up by Prueitt will be available. “Liz is doing a gluten-free lemon meringue cake, and all muffins are gluten-free,” she says. Vegan options will include a crumb cake with seasonal jam such as apricot, rhubarb, or marmalade, as well as a raspberry cornmeal tea cake. We suggest no one miss the avocado tartine. Dressed with a squeeze of lime and topped with salsa seca, cashew, and micro-cilantro, it is a California original.
