San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood is set to welcome the first permanent location of Bernal Bakery, a breakout success story that found its footing amidst the pandemic's toughest days. The bakery, birthed from the kitchen of Ryan Stagg and Danielle Banchero after their layoff from chef jobs, has quickly gone from crafting sourdough bread on the fly to securing a brick-and-mortar future. They'll be taking over the Little Bee Bakery space at 521 Cortland Avenue, a site that comes with its own pedigree of baked goods and community love. As reported by SF Eater, the bakery will be taking on a new moniker as Bernal Basket, in what Stagg describes as "the perfect fit for us."

While Little Bee's closure marks an end of an era, Stacie Pierce, former pastry chef at Chez Panisse, expressed her desire to see the spot go to locals who would cherish the community space — allowing Bernal Bakery to smoothly transition into the locale. "That was something that we couldn’t refuse," Stagg told SF Eater. Bernal Bakery has garnered not just local but national attention for their unique pandemic-friendly delivery system — a basket rigged to lower their in-demand bread to customers while maintaining social distance — which Stagg says "really sparked everything that we have today."

Alongside their bread that had SF natives lining up, Bernal Bakery plans to serve a variety of baked goods including croissants, danishes, and scones, expanding its repertoire to encompass a range of pastries. Taking inspiration from Stagg’s tenure at the shuttered Pollara Pizzeria in Berkeley, customers can also expect Roman-style pizza al taglio to grace the menu. As for the timeline, the hopeful goal is to have the business up and running as soon as March. In an Instagram post, Bernal Bakery hinted at the journey ahead, expressing excitement and gratitude towards their community. "We owe it to you all, our neighborhood Bernal Heights, and everyone who has supported us along the way — we couldn't have done it without you," the post read.

Despite the firm move to establish a permanent base, Stagg has conveyed barely concealed excitement to maintain a presence at farmers markets and pop-up events stating, "They've just been an absolute blessing for us and we love doing them." The emphasis on local presence and community support remains a strong narrative for the booming bakery, promising to keep serving up fresh loaves, pastries, and soon, slices of pizza al taglio alongside breakfast sandwiches and potential beer and wine additions. And while they transition from a whimsically airborne basket delivery into a countertop service, Bernal Bakery holds onto the grassroots charm that helped them rise in the hearts of San Franciscans during an era when warmth was very much needed one loaf at a time.