Ponsford’s Place

Pumpkin pie extraordinary. NO white flour and flakiest crust ever. This place is the bees knees. Kim Clement in santa rosa

This place came up as I was searching Rancho Gordo bean carriers. If they have my favorite beans, I knew they had to be good. Ponsford’s has been recommended to me over the past couple years, but their hours and mine never married until recently.
It’s a small space, but they pack it full of their tasty treats both savory and sweet as well as coffee.
My first visit, I had to have a variety, so savory bean turnover, bourbon pecan tart and a chocolate pumpkin éclair came home with me. I ate one pastry in my vehicle, my second in the parking lot of my next destination and the third before noon. I swear each one was better than the last, but I can’t recall in which order I ate them, so they all get the first prize from me.
Come early and often and you’ll likely see me there. Ponsford’s is one of those little gems that makes me want to live within walking distance. Maybe someday.

I couldn’t write this review yesterday, because I wanted to surprise Tam when we had lunch today w/​her and Kevin. I bookmarked Ponsford’s Place almost 2 years ago when Joanna M reviewed it, specifically mentioning ginger cookies, which Tam loves. This business is decidedly quirky: you can’t reach them by phone. I was able to communicate w/​them via Facebook, to which I was referred by their website. I wasn’t absolutely certain even then that they would have them for certain, but we took a chance and went by the shop before meeting Nancy at Kababbq. We found a parking place in front and walked into this lovely smelling place w/​great music playing. There were so many things to tempt us, but we were first focused on the cookies. A woman came to the counter and greeted us. I’m pretty sure she was Elizabeth. I asked about the cookies and she asked if I was the woman who had been asking about them and I said I was. She asked if I’d like a dozen or a half dozen, because I had mentioned both. While I was thinking about it Alan suggested a half dozen would be enough, so that’s what we went w/​. We can always come back for more.
While Elizabeth was boxing up the cookies Alan and I saw an interesting looking bread made w/​buckwheat flour, walnuts and sprouted buckwheat. We both love buckwheat, so we decided to get a loaf. In the display case there were a multitude of sweet and savory temptations, but what caught our eyes was a roll shaped sort of like a pain au chocolate, only filled w/​vegetables rather than chocolate. As we were deciding, Elizabeth returned and offered me a ginger cookie to try. It was still warm from the oven and was absolutely amazing, rich w/​flavor. I gave Alan, who doesn’t eat sweets, a little taste and he was also smitten. We limited ourselves to just the cookies, bread and rolls. They don’t take credit cards, so we paid cash. Last night we had pasta from Phoenix Pastaficio w/​a sauce that Alan made. We had some of the bread and shared the roll. The bread was heavy and dense, the way we like it. It really didn’t need butter, as it was nice and moist. It was very good. The roll, which we warmed in the oven, was delicious. Despite being made w/​whole grain, it was light and delicate and the vegetable filling was flavorful, the vegetables still a little al dente. We loved it and will look for it when we return. When we saw the kids for lunch we gave Tam the box of cookies. She lifted the lid and inhaled, pronouncing the smell magnificent. She didn’t eat one then, but I expect we’ll hear from her when she does.

Excellent artisan breads. Worth the trip. Very creative, delicious breads, pastries, and quiches in small batches. Great attention to detail. Changing selections.
Off the main streets, so use your map

If you are looking for hearty, interesting, imaginative baked goods made from whole grains that are hard to find served by super nice people in a location that feels like you got let in on a secret — then Ponsfords is your place. Want plain old wheat bread? Too common for Ponsfords. Looking for
ultra flaky french pastries? Go to Paris. This place serves exotic grains and bread that could be a meal in itself.
I get the quiche du jour, a loaf of whatever bread of the day that looks best for toast the next day, and something sweet and I’m never disappointed. Pizzas are with trying. I really like them but my wife gives them a meh.
Be sure to check the hours! If you want in on the secret you will have to plan ahead.

I am sitting here thoroughly enjoying the buckwheat pecan bread, warmed up with butter, for my lunch. This bread is so yummy, warm, chewy, sweet, hearty and clearly full of love. I can’t wait to try a different loaf every week. Thank you!

A definite stop on a bread mecca. In beautiful San Rafael, this home grown shop has Craig ponsford at the helm. A true genius with whole grains! We were lucky enough to snag a loaf of their pumpernickel sourdough with such inventive ingredients as Cabernet runoff that I can’t find on the east coast. The morning bun was bready and had plump infused raisins. And they gave me a free blood orange shortbread heart shaped cookie just for coming in my first time. A real treasure!

This is the best tasting and healthiest bread anywhere. They use only 100% whole wheat or ancient grains. Truly remarkable. The Rev Al Sharpton went on a diet in 2006. He weighed over 300 lbs. told a weighs 129lbs. He has 3 – 4 pieces of 100% whole grain bread everyday. Baker Ponsfords went to France to compete with the best bakers in the world to produce a baguette; HE WON! PONSFORDS BAKERY IS A LOCAL JEWEL. Go there, you’ll love it. Support this artisan all star!
Robert F

Einkorn. Einkorn!
Fun to say; fun to eat.
It’s the wheat that can’t be beat.
Einkorn.
Seriously, it’s good bread, you should try some.

Outstanding bread and pastries! I live for bread and this is my new holy spot. I feel like I’m living in Europe again eating their breads. Get get the pain de campagne.
Note: for your typical American you won’t find any Wonder Bread here

Very quaint little bakery. As you approach, you smell the delicious breads. They are only open on certain days (check their website or ask and you will know which days so you do not leave snooty reviews on Unilocal) and the selection is limited but they are local and their breads, cookies, pastries, quiches are great. You can tell they are made with love.
We are from Europe and we know our breads (unlike some Unilocal reviewer who spent a year in France and «knows» about breads) and this place delivers. Plus, the staff is so friendly and the atmosphere is very relaxed.

MasterBaker Craig Ponsford is changing the world with his vision, go in and see what’s baking. This small, quaint bakery that boasts whole grain goodness is not to be passed up.

Came here on a whim one day, because I usually pass by on the side street.
To my surprise it was a tiny lil bakery. I got a lemon curd diamond with raspberries that was super delish and my lil sis go a morning bun, which was equally good.
They do have strange hours… I never really know when they’re open half the time.
I recommended to my older sister to stop by and give it a go, and she happen to hit this place up on a closed day, which made me sad.
On the plus side, the staff peeps are super friendly!

FYI I went back and a young man was working and he was super nice! That alone was a nice treat.

This place seems like it should be awesome: weird location, exclusive hours, adorable setting. But the bread was just not good. I know they only use whole grain flour and I’m all for whole grains. I’m obsessed with whole grain and weird grains grains like teff, amaranth, buckwheat, etc. But if it doesn’t add anything special/​better/​just as good, then I don’t see the point in it. The texture of the baguette I bought was gummy and tough. The croissant did not seem like a croissant whatsoever. You can’t just make something into a croissant shape and call it a croissant. Where were the layers? Where was the butter? It seemed more like a roll with chocolate inside.
The cookies were also really disappointing, very crumbly with hardly any chew.
Despite how nice everyone was – and they were really very nice – I was just so disappointed with the actual product that I couldn’t recommend this bakery.

Everything about this bakery screams hidden foodie find! I get the feel that the baker is striving towards a healthy and purist approach. Alas, my experience was a bit gummy, hard, and disappointing all at once.
On a small, side street in San Rafael, a small but steady stream of customers make their pilgrimages to pick up whole grain bread, turnovers, and cookies. The store is only open on Fridays, Saturdays, and an occasional weekday for Pizza Day.
As I was doing a bread tour of the North Bay, I tried three items, which were shockingly disappointing.
Whole grain ciabatta baguette – it was pretty much inedible for us. Brown, dense, and lacking all the magical risen lightness that brings magic to bread for me personally. We both ended up spitting out the bread.
Chocolate croissant – it looked normal, but when you bit into it, it was actually normal bread (like you are staring at a slice of wheat bread wrapped around chocolate), without any of the flakiness that seems to come with the traditional croissant method (painstaking alternating layers of butter and dough). One bite, and we were done with that «croissant» for good.
The one exception was the turnover. We tried the unusual savory bean turnover. It reminded me of eating a taco in a parallel dimension where tortilla shells were replaced with pastry crust. Although the beans were not as interesting as we’d hoped, the turnover crust was great. If it had something else besides beans in it, I would definitely try that again.
I really wanted to like this more. But with the croissant being shockingly underwhelming and the baguette feeling more like an experiment than an actual product, I will cut my losses short. If I were to steer you to places that I enjoy more (so you can callibrate what my bakery taste profile is), I definitely enjoy B Patisserie, Knead patisserie, and the new Anda Piroshki for something (although not quite a turnover) consistently delicious.

I bitch about the lack of decent food in Marin… all the freakin time. My friends tell me «it isn’t San Francisco here G, get use to it and shut up»
But I don’t shut up and I can’t get use to it… but then every now and then I find a gem of a place in Marin the likes I have never experienced before and Ponsford’s Place is just such an establishment.
It is a tiny house that had been changed into a bakery and it is small, cozy and adorable inside !!! I had a croissant that had a veggie filling of carrots and kale and some other good stuff and it was simply put divine. I have never eaten a pastry as good as this one, and I actually cannot adequately describe it with mere words so I can only quote the greatest master of the English written word:
Beauty itself doth of itself persuade the eyes of men without an orator. Shakespeare

I have a thing for places in odd places. Let me explain…
A coffee stand in a closet? I’m there. A clothing store in an Airstream? Count me in. A bakery in a house? Not the oddest, but in Marin I’ll take quirky where I can find it.
Ponsford’s Place is totally delicious and left me with a warm feeling, and that isn’t just because it’s a tiny place with a roaring oven. All of the goods are made with whole grains; they’re dense, flavorful, and amazing. Their rye was incredible, and I can’t leave a bakery without sampling a ginger cookie, my litmus test of a good bakery.
I didn’t meet Mr. Ponsford, but the gentleman helping me was incredibly gracious, and has his own organic potato chip company! Word is that they have pizza nights, a lot of other offerings I have yet to taste (pumpernickel!), and are enjoying building a community around their bakery.
I know where I’ll be getting my Christmas treats…

Awesome little bakery on a side street, only open on weekends. They’re slinging great sweet and savory pastries using old world ingredients and innovative takes on traditional treats. Lots of little culinary gems are available too, like delicious Wolf Creek chips and homemade preserves.
I was with two great friends who also enjoyed the time there, but were too lazy to write reviews.

Once in a blue moon you stumble across a place that causes you to think «if this place were in the City there’d be a line down the block just like Bi-​Rite». This is one of those places.
Ponsford’s calls itself a «bakery and innovation center». I interpret this to mean «we’re trying unique and different things here and we’re not playing by the rules» I might be wrong, but who but a rule-​breaker could get away with opening their doors only 2 days each week, varying the simple menu (savories, sweets, breads), and occasionally throwing open their doors for pizza night? I say it’s someone who’s confident enough in what they’re offering to know that followers will ensue. Sort of the Field of Dreams model of doing business.
Ponsford’s is the creation of Craig Ponsford whose pedigree is mighty impressive: Gold medal winner/​coach/​judge at the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (international invitational baking competition), instructor at St. Helena’s CIA, and one-​time owner of Sonoma’s’ Artisan Bakers. This pedigree might explain why, on a recent pizza night, there was a documentary film crew there conducting interviews (film: Rise of the Grains”) and why at least three other baking world luminaries were on hand enjoying the pizza. (Tip: If you find yourself in Tucson head to Barrio Bread. Equally wonderful bread and owner).
Ponsford’s Place is tucked away in a tiny little house in a semi-​residential area of San Rafael. Their products are whole grain and delicious. I’ve become quite a fan of their dense American Walnut Bread ($ 5/​loaf) which I top with smashed avocado, fresh tomato, and kosher salt. It’s heavenly, but everything else I’ve tried has been great too.
Pizza night (by the pie or the slice) is BYOB, for here or to-​go, with meat and unique veggie options. If you decide to stay, there’s a couple of seats indoors and a few more seating places outdoors. The place is small but don’t hold it against them. Great things come in small packages and Ponsford’s is a great thing.