Zest Bakery

Zest Bakery is located in San Carlos, CA and celebrated it's 1 year birthday last week.  I met the owners, husband and wife team Patrick and Charissa last fall at a gluten free fair and have been wanting to visit their bakery ever since.  I finally had an opportunity this past weekend and their donut did not disappoint; neither did anything else really.

They have a really cute, yet small place- with a zesty (bright) color scheme. With a selection of donuts, cookies, and muffins everyday, plus a select sandwich menu, and a few special items in the fridge like pie crusts, quiches, and cheesecake, anyone who loves food will fine a tasty treat they've been craving at Zest.


I "like" the bakery on facebook, and have been dreaming of the fun and festive donuts they have been making.  On the day we visited they had maple and cinnamon donuts; the maple had such a strong aroma of maple syrup and its taste was as pleasing.  It wasn't all bark and no bit like many baked goods; it's easy to make treats pretty with drizzled glaze, etc. but it's another to get the taste and texture just right. Then Charissa pulled out a giant slice of freshly made angel food cake. There was no need for any strawberries, although that would have made it even more decedent. I pretty much had to fight Mike for a bit, and he's not even gluten free; that's just how amazing it was.

Since we were on our way for a hike we thought it would be perfect to pick up some sandwiches to take with us. Once we got to the beach we picked a private table with a view, and continued our on-location taping. To see our immediate, first time reactions of the crestview and the arroyo (sandwiches) plus all the baked goodies we were treated to check out our review on GFree TV, and next time you're in bay, spice up your day and take a detour to Zest.