Peace and Loaf

Last day of the 2009 season!

2009-04-06T17:39:00.000-07:00

Time is up! The months have flown by, people are getting ready to close their homes and head up north. If I were to try to describe this season I would not know where to start.

From day one, we enjoyed looking at the sun coming up over the mountains. Our town was just beginning to wake up. Once in a while "CD", our neighbor's dog would show up at the bakery and would sit on the porch to make us company. Or... maybe to smell the nice scent coming from inside, hoping for a small morsel. A few hours later, with the bread made, the baskets full, the tables set, the terraces raked, the porch clean, the music going, the welcoming flags out, the quotes of the day written... another day at Peace and Loaf was about to start.

Every day was a different day. Some of the faces were familiar, some were new. Some were carrying The Calendario in their hands and with a proud voice announced "We made it", we did not know what "el otro lado" meant. Some were referrals, friends of friends, some were bakers. We met at least four more bakers this season. That was great fun to exchange notes.

But the most important thing that we always come out with is the happy smiles, and the connections built between all of us. We are all part of the big web of life and we are interconnected.

This last photo is of our European friends: Conchita, Magda (of Tres Gallines), Sylvie and Vincent.

Till the next one my friends! New Season Nov. 2009 - April 2010.
Thank you all. Muchísimas Gracias.
George y Gloria

Getting close to the end of the season...

2009-04-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

It is 8am when the familiar voice at the end of the receiver asks which breads did we make for the day, and proceeds to order a few to be set aside. This way Howard and Cosima do not need to rush and come a little later to enjoy their Lemon Poppy seed and Zucchini loaves.

It became a tradition to sit with Howard and Cosima towards the end of the day and visit with them. Got to enjoy listening to some of Cosima's writings, looking at her drawings, and reviewing some of her new quotes.

We thank them as we thank all of our loyal customers for supporting our business and helping create a community.

The grandchildren are in town....

2009-04-06T17:24:00.000-07:00

Paris and Capri came to visit their grandfather last week. They are beautiful and bright young ladies. At first they were skeptical about our lemon glaze but after trying a little, they asked for more. Please!

Eliana came to visit just before she and her parents headed to the airport. They wanted to take a "caminero" (something you take with you on the road). So cinnamon rolls were wrapped up for their trip to San Jose. Bon voyage!

Calamity Jayne comes to Peace and Loaf...

2009-04-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend and neighbor Jayne, or "Calamity Jayne" as she is known in the music and entertainment world came to visit with her friend Caroline. Too bad we did not have a microphone handy or she might have been able to delight us with a few songs.

More delightful visits... and farewells...

2009-04-06T16:48:00.000-07:00

It is around the first of April when some of our friends and customers come to say their farewells before heading north. Tax time is around the corner and everyone has to put their affairs in order. So the big happy family starts to get a bit smaller.

Zumba girls came to visit...

2009-04-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

It was Lucy, our Zumba teacher's birthday. All the girls brought her to celebrate her birhtday at Peace and Loaf. There were cinnamon rolls all around, which were highly deserved after a whole hour of fun and intense exercise.

Is it Wednesday or Saturday...

2009-04-06T16:34:00.000-07:00

It seems like George and me run our lives based on our Wednesdays and Saturdays. There is a lot to do in addition to baking. Running a bakery requires ordering the proper ingredients on a weekly basis. Particularly since we use fresh herbs and vegetables in a lot of our breads. There is also the upkeep of the garden and the prep for the mixes the day before we open. Then there is the reminder that going to bed anytime after 9 o'clock on Tuesdays or Fridays is probably not a good idea, since the alarm will still ring at 3am. But nevertheless at the end of every Wednesday or Saturday we smile and feel content for bringing a noble product to our community. Bread is soul food.

A visit from Spokane, Washington.

2009-03-24T13:34:00.001-07:00

Last week we had a lovely family come and visit us from Spokane, Washington.
Eliana was delighted to have a nice piece of Mom and Dad's cinnamon rolls.

Cranberry nut delight....

2009-03-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

You wonder if life can get any better when the sky is blue, the sun is shining and the breeze is swaying softly through the palm fronds when a soft gentle child walks in to Peace & Loaf with her grandparents and decides... she wants the whole cranberry nut loaf to herself. Ahhh... what a delight.

Gloria's Birthday at Peace and Loaf....

2009-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Wednesday March 4th was Gloria's Birthday so what better way to celebrate it than with the Peace and Loaf family. The day started early as usual. 3:00am wake up call... coffee brewing... time to start. Leonard Cohen playing on the background, potato bread in the making. Life is good!

George, Karina & Enrique...

2009-03-05T20:04:00.001-08:00

Karina, Enrique and George (minus the photographer Gloria) are some of the members of the Peace & Loaf family. Always happy to see you and your families come and share a morning coffee and a cinnamon roll with us.

"Dusty" our Celebrity Hostess...

2009-03-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

On Saturday morning Dusty Marie was kind enough to come and be our celebrity hostess for the day. Dusty came from Albuquerque, NM. She is a massage therapist and a mid wife. She was able to welcome our customers with a great big smile. Everyone wanted to meet her! She was an incredible help for us that day and we thank her from the bottom of our heart.

Let's check out the bread...

2009-03-03T14:58:00.000-08:00

We have had a few bakers come by from Canada lately. it has been great fun to exchange thoughts with them and get some feedback after they taste our breads. A real synergy there. On the photograph you can see our olive rosemary, then the rye, the olive rosemary sundried tomato, then the whole wheat and the cinnamon rolls at the end.

Marcia and Neil come to Peace and Loaf...

2009-03-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Dear friends and neighbors of ours from Ridgefield, CT came to visit at the beginning of February. They loved Todos Santos,its lovely quaint atmosphere, its palms, beaches, desert, bumps on the road and all the special things that make TS such a wonderful place to live. But they also got up early TWICE that week and came to help us at the bakery. They were awesome! Thank you!!!

Happy to see you again too....

2009-03-03T14:44:00.000-08:00

Many familiar faces come through a Peace and Loaf. Old friends and new friends alike.
Barbara and Sylvia got here early. Then Jan and Gordon sat close to Tony for a chat.
Gail and Janet came later. Gurta is smiling at the corner of the table.Serena and Brent's darling nephews sat to enjoy a piece of chocolate bread. Yum.... Chatting, laughing and enjoying the soft breeze under the ficus trees is a site to warm anyone's heart.

First time at Peace and Loaf...

2009-03-03T14:39:00.000-08:00

We have had many new faces at Peace and Loaf this year. It is wonderful to welcome new customers from Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon, Seattle, California, and many other places.

4:30 am time to start the fire....

2009-03-03T14:12:00.000-08:00

It is 4:00 am when we walk into Peace and Life, turning lights, turning the gas on, quickly heating up water for our sponges, and setting up the working surface on our big table. While I start working on the breads, George is outside getting the fire started in our outside oven. It is a real dance when it comes to setting up the wood, keeping the fire going so it gets hot enough, then letting it burn down, raking the coals out and mopping the floor of the oven to bring it down to the perfect temperature. Finally the "temp" ia tested by throwing in the oven a handful of flour and seeing how quickly it burns. And voilá we are ready to bake. George might say "it's a HOT oven today"....

Beautiful "divas" at Peace and Loaf...

2009-02-01T19:08:00.001-08:00

Here comes Gina with Chris and Lisa!

The cinnamon rolls blew out of town...

2009-02-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

It was 8:30am and the smell of just made cinnamon rolls permeated the air around the bakery. Our first customers arrived just a few minutes before opening and presented us with the ad we publish in the Calendario and said "We finally found you and we would love to have four of your cinnamon rolls with four coffees". They sat at one of our picnic tables under the ficus trees and smiled. That was the beginning of a great new day at Peace and Loaf.

A few minutes later our friends Kris and Jamie arrived. We had not seen them for a few months, and were thrilled to welcome them back from Alaska. Also to inform them that the Rubilina they gave us last year is very happy and healthy in our garden.

Then Enrique and Giana showed up wearing one of our t'shirts. Where was my camera?...

Like that the familiar faces keep coming back week after week, sometimes we have to dig back into the brain's computer to retrieve the names (which we might have forgotten), but we never forget the happy faces and the connection to their wonderful experiences.

You can see the pictures of Calala, between her parents, also Anne, Peter, Kaylee and Doug (just back from a major sailing trip).

Something new at Peace and Loaf....

2009-02-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

Dominique, our very own organic garden diva brought her beautiful greens to Peace and Loaf on Saturday. And, they did not stay for very long... happy customers were picking up their loaves of bread and then purchasing some salad greens as well. She will be back with more goodies on Saturday!

Peace and Loaf's logo...

2009-02-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

The Peace and Loaf logo was designed by George. We have been able to apply it to our t'shirts, paper bags, stickers, cards and our advertising.

You can see it in one of our bags held by beautiful Maia and her Mommy.

Human connections...

2009-01-18T08:37:00.000-08:00

As I ponder and think of what is it that I like the most about Peace and Loaf I come to the conclusion that it is the connections formed by people sharing a cup of coffee and a piece of bread. Our communal tables, where sometimes you have to ask someone to move over to make room for you provide this opportunity. Sometimes you get to meet a visitor or perhaps a neighbor who you have seen but maybe never got a chance to speak to. Great friendships have started right at these tables. Also, personally, it gives me great joy when I look up and see a familiar face walking in, maybe someone I haven't seen since the last season. A hug, a smile... like the Master Card commercial says "it's priceless".

The Community at Peace and Loaf...

2009-01-18T08:27:00.000-08:00

It wasn't quite 9am last Saturday at Peace and Loaf, the fresh scent of just baked cinnamon rolls filled the air, when one of our customers snuck in through the opening of the gate and asked if he could take some pics of the bread coming out of the oven. That event started our happy day, the welcoming fish flags got put in place and Reed, a friend and customer, helped by opening the gate.

T'shirts at Peace and Loaf...

2009-01-18T08:20:00.000-08:00

New T's have arrived at Peace and Loaf. We have beautiful grey and white t'shirts with the Peace and Loaf logo printed on them. And, we also have George's Art t'shirts. The
artwork printed in these shirts includes imagery photographed by George and modified digitally, then hand printed by their daughter Karen. Do stop in and check them out! P.S. Note our smiling celebrity hostess for the day "Miss Lisa Welsch" wearing one of the new Peace and Loaf t'shirts and a dark vest.

First Saturday of the season!!!

2009-01-18T08:10:00.000-08:00

Beautiful weather... getting in the groove.
Introducing a new bread is always exciting. "Potato" is the new babe on the block.
The recipe was given to us by our good friend Bill. He scrutinized the first loaves and has finally given his approval. Dense and full bodied, makes excellent sandwich slices and incredible toast.

2009 New Season for Peace & Loaf...

2009-01-18T07:53:00.000-08:00

3am.... the alarm goes off, the artist residency is over, the holidays are over and yes, it is January 7th, 2009 and it's time to get up and make good bread. We stumbled a little through the house trying to adjust to our new baking schedule and hopped inside the jeep on the way to the bakery. I-Pod blasting Joan Baez and 500 miles, the mixer going, the logs in the oven, sponges being made, dough being pounded down and bread was on its way. 9 am arrived before we even noticed... the gate was open and familiar faces came strutting in with a smile and the "2 cinnamon rolls with lots of glaze, please" usual request. Ahhh... life is good!

It's all about the bread...

2008-05-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

It's all about the bread... it's all about the flour... it's all about the
kneading... it's all about the rising... and it's all about love. The art of baking brings us close to the earth. It is one of the simplest rudimentary tasks to be made.
Bread has been made for centuries and it has been the source of survival for generations. It's a noble business and we love it!

Grupo Tortuguero at Peace and Loaf

2008-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Patricia Baum and her team of helpers came every Saturday morning to Peace and Loaf and set up their meeting corner. Visitors could come and get information on how to help and support their ecologically minded group. Whether to help with the turtle release program or their new recycling effort.

Info at: www.todostortugueros.org

The Peace and Loaf Family Continues.

2008-05-07T10:18:00.001-07:00

The Peace and Loaf Family.

2008-05-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Every morning as we turned the music on and opened the doors at Peace and Loaf we heard people chatting, laughing and walking in for a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll. Or simply, to buy a loaf of bread. These people, our customers became a familiar site for us. As the weeks went by we got to know them better. People made connections, exchanging information,
construction, hiking and shopping tips. It felt a little bit like a big happy family.

The Bus

2008-05-05T15:26:00.000-07:00

At the beginning the Peace and Loaf VW van was seen cruising the Todos Santos streets loaded with bread to sell door to door.

Peace and Loaf ends its first season with a smile...

2008-04-22T17:42:00.000-07:00

The alarm clock went off at 3AM on December 1, 2007. From then until last week, the smell of breadmaking permiated the air in Las Brisas neighborhood of Todos Santos, B.C.S. The yeast was added, sponges were being made, the dough was rising, the hands were flying, churning , kneading and turning, all in a synchronized dance with the close monitoring of the fire in our artisanal clay oven. By 7:30AM once the savories were out of the way it was time to roll out those cinnamon buns. The savory breads were lined up on wooden drying racks, the baskets prepped with white parchment paper and tables cleaned. 9:00AM came in a wink. The sound of cars, closing of doors, chitter chatter of people coming towards the gate marked the beginning of another happy day for us "the bakers". " Good morning, two cinnamon rolls, two coffees, please"... people smiling filling our communal tables, meeting each other perhaps for the first time, sharing thoughts and exchanging information on plants, real estate, news, health and so much more.

It was a familiar site, a communal point every Wednesday and Saturday. Our family grew, new travelers arrived, new residents kept coming, they brought their guests, their children, their grand children. We got to know them and felt sad when it was time to say good-bye whether it was after a couple of days, a week, two weeks, a month or four months.

Making bread and sharing it with others is one of the most humble and heart warming experiences we have had in our lives.
We thank you all for making it such a great season.

We welcome your comments and new bread recipes. We will be back in the Fall with lots of new and delicious breads!