Sourdough & Moore, long a farmers market crush, has put down permanent roots on Newport Avenue, turning its weekend buzz into weekday lines. Owners David Moore and Emma Gibb are now baking naturally leavened loaves, sourdough bagels, croissants, babkas and seasonal pastries, all built on a long-lived starter. In a neighborhood already packed with independent food spots, a dedicated sourdough bakery is a very Ocean Beach kind of standout.
Meet the Bakers
Moore and Gibb first teamed up while selling at the Mission Valley Civita Park farmers market, then grew the side hustle into a full storefront. Moore spent 25 years working at the Omni Hotel and was briefly hospitalized after a driver hit him while he was biking in Ocean Beach. Gibb walked away from a corporate job to focus on pastry work, according to Times of San Diego. “I was making 25 loaves a day,” she told the outlet about the moment she realized it was time to bake full time.
Menu and Starter
San Diego Magazine reports that nearly everything in the case is built around a sourdough starter that is roughly 100 years old, worked into breads, bagels, baguettes, focaccia and many pastries. Rotating loaves have included roasted rosemary garlic, jalapeño cheddar, caramelized onion and cinnamon raisin, while the bagel lineup has featured Asiago black pepper and rosemary lemon. The brick-and-mortar opened in November with weekday and weekend hours aimed squarely at morning customers, in line with the early bake schedule.
Neighborhood Response
From the first week, the new shop drew lines out the door and quickly slipped into Ocean Beach’s regular food rotation, according to the owners and neighbors. Moore and Gibb have kept their booths at both the Ocean Beach and Mission Valley farmers markets while the Newport Avenue shop builds a steady local following, Times of San Diego notes. The pair credit Ocean Beach’s strong small-business culture as a key ingredient in their early success.
What to Try
Regulars point to Dave’s jalapeño cheddar sourdough, which the owners say also packs habaneros for extra heat, along with a half-pound chocolate chip cookie that clocks in at roughly a 50 percent chocolate-to-dough ratio, per San Diego Magazine. Pastries are made with organic flour, local eggs and imported European chocolate, and Moore says he hopes to roll out sourdough-crust pizza and sandwich options down the line. Weekend visits often mean small-batch sellouts, so locals are learning to show up early and plan around the morning bake.
