One of my favorite coffee shops is the Flour Garden Bakery. They have really good coffee and great pastry, bread and other baked goods. I started going to there when they first opened in 1981. They have expanded from one store to two stores in Grass Valley and one in Auburn.  Maps of their location are shown at the bottom of this blog,

According to a small portion of their website:

“Started by Bill & Susan Copeland on March 14, 1981 on their stated philosophy:

“You are what you eat!” said French gourmand Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826). Appreciation for food took on new meaning in the 1960’s when a “countercuisine” emerged. “A coherent set of dietary beliefs and practices, the counter cuisine had three major parts:

1. Avoid processed, “fake” foods.
2. Make food more fun through improvisation, craftsmanship, ethnic and regional cooking.
3. Be aware of how your food is produced and distributed.”

The children of the 60’s aspired to bring wisdom and responsibility to the dinner table, and to the global community. Warren J. Belasco in Appetite for Change, writes,

“I see how right many of the intuitions (of the 60’s) were: the need to align private action with planetary needs; the distrust of chemicals and technology; the rectification of nature, community and tradition; …the enthusiasm for small farms and organic methods; the intrinsic delight in whole foods.”

The Flour Garden Bakery came out of this tradition. Rather than  baking with the commercial/industrial methods using manufactured mixes and artificial flavorings, Flour Garden bakes with a special blend of classical European style and a Californian’s awareness of how our foods influence our health. Combining quality and beauty is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Everything is made from scratch. It is much more costly to bake with the finest quality and most nutritious ingredients; but the Flour Garden is determined to produce food that is not only delicious, but also enhances health.”

Pros:

Extremely great baked goods and good coffee. Friendly staff.

Cons:

When they are busy, be prepared to stand in line.  It’s the only coffee shop I can think of where there is not a cashier who takes your order and then someone else fills the order.  Instead, someone takes your order, prepares your drink, toast’s your bagel and brings it to your table. Its kind like having a waiter take your order and then go to the kitchen and prepare your food, then come back and serve you. Which of course, leaves everyone else waiting. Pastry and baked goods are pricey. However, that’s more than offset by the quality of their baked goods.

The Flour Garden Bakery can be found at three locations.

Grass Valley Stores

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Auburn Store

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