ABOUT

Blackwall Bakery is a licensed Cottage Food Operation (CFO) located on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe owned and operated by me, Grace. I started Blackwall in 2023 after years of working in professional bakeries and restaurants, for catering companies and artisan cheese shops, and also earning degrees in conventional and holistic nutrition and food science. From 2021 to 2023 I slowly began acquiring mixers, a sheeter, a fridge, two ovens - to start my own bakery out of the dining room of my grandmas cabin in Homewood. With a leap of hope and a why not attitude I started selling at the North Tahoe Farmesr Markets in May 2023 and it’s been a wild, wonderful dream of a ride ever since.

Name inspo

Before starting the bakery, my partner Tim and I lived at the bottom of Old 40 and spent many days climbing at Donner Summit. (RIP having free time to climb). We climbed at Black Wall on Donner often and one day joked if we had a bakery, would we name menu items off of the routes? One hand croissant, Bread September, Breadstone, etc. The idea lingered and when it came time to start the business, it was an easy choice to name it after a striking wall that we love.

Ingredient Sourcing

As a baker and member of a local and global food system, it is incredibly important for me to source ingredients that are high quality in terms of flavor and sustainability. The flour sourced for Blackwalls’ bread and pastry come from a variety of farmers and millers. All of which I feel very proud to support and showcase.

I use Trailblazer, Organic Expresso Wheat and its sifted version from Cairnsprings Mill in Washington. The organic Spelt, Einkorn, and Rye come from Central Milling (based out of Petaluma but their grain is also coming from Utah/ mid west). I am also stoked to be working with Full Belly Farms down the hill in Esparta, using their Rouge de Bordeaux and Edison wheat - grown and milled on their expansive and diverse farm.

Produce used in the tea cakes, breads, and croissant squares are always sourced from farmers market produce (or in the market shoulder season - by way the Tahoe food Hub, New Moon, or farmers markets down the hill in Auburn or Sacramento).

I exclusively use Vahlrona and Felchlin chocolate, both companies working transparently with cocoa growers - and in my opinion the most delicious chocolate on the market. For dairy I use Isigny Sainte-Mere - from France, which I know isn’t great food miles but the quality and flavor of this butter is insane! - and Clover. For cheeses I buy from artisan cheesemakers like Bellweather, Valley Ford and Jasper Hill.