MY CITY: BENICIA with One House Bakery Proprietor, Hannalee Pervan

Located near San Francisco in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Benicia is one of the oldest cities on the West Coast. It was once the state capital.

This bustling arts community sports a beautiful waterfront and top-notch shopping and dining. Hundreds of artists live and work here and visitors can find glass blowers, and pottery throwers creating unique pieces.

Oriented to its waterfront, you’ll enjoy scenic views of bridges, sailboats, outriggers, and paddleboarders. This is a great “strolling” town and is the perfect day trip away from the tourist grind of San Fran. VisitBenicia.org.

TravelSquire caught up with baker par excellence, Hannalee Pervan, a Le Cordon Bleu graduate, who attended the Ottawa campus of the acclaimed culinary arts and hospitality management institute, graduating with a Patisserie Diploma. Le Cordon Bleu is dedicated to providing the highest level of instruction through its world class programs and this formal training enabled her to gain 10 years working experience in the baking industry. As a result of Le Cordon Bleu’s distinctive teaching methodology  where students achieve confidence through hands-on learning, she has taken a giant step and realized her childhood dream of owning her own bakery. www.cordonbleu.edu 

One House Bakery had its grand opening this past Monday (10-15-18). We asked Hannalee to open up about her new chosen home in Benicia. www.onehousebakery.com

Hannalee, can you tell us what is your “go to” restaurant?

Benicia has great restaurants. My favorites are Pacifica Pizza & Pastabilities and Aroma Indian Cuisine. For late nights, I like to order in from Bella Siena.

I’m also a big fan of Pearl Thai Cuisine in the Southampton Center.

What’s your favorite dish there?

My favorite dish is the Korean BBQ Short Ribs. They are crispy with a sweet glaze.

What is your favorite food to prepare?

I’ve been looking forward to sharing my experience from Le Cordon Bleu in my croissants. We added a proofing room in the bakery to monitor temperatures and humidity while preparing them.

What can you find in Benicia that you can’t find elsewhere?

It’s right here at One House Bakery. We have our own mill onsite. Our milling room has a counter along the outside with windows so that customers can watch us mill the flour that we’ll use to make our bread that day. You can’t get any fresher than that! My new oven, Buttercup, has been installed and we’re baking 160 baguettes and 80 country loaves a day to start. I’m excited to share the taste of the freshest ingredients with no preservatives. There’s nothing like it.

What is your favorite attraction in the city?

Benicia has lots of historical sites and there are numerous galleries right here on First Street. And it’s surrounded on two sides by the waterfront. I’m looking forward to finding time for more exploring.

What is your favorite shopping street?

First Street, of course! It’s in downtown Benicia or as the locals call it, Main Street. There are galleries, gift shops, fashion & vintage clothing shops, all unique and independently-owned, like us.

What is your favorite museum?

The Benicia Historical Museum in the Benicia Arsenal is really interesting, and I love the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park nearby. It’s one of two state parks here. It was the home of California’s third state capital (1853-54) and is the only capitol building still standing outside of Sacramento. Guided tours highlight the period furniture, even the spittoons.

What’s your favorite monument?

The State Capitol building. It’s an impressive landmark.

What’s your favorite neighborhood?

Downtown, where there is a mix of unique Victorian and mid-century homes. Everyone seems to have a dog here and no one is too busy to stop and chat.

Are there any secret things you love to do in Benicia?

I wouldn’t call it secret, but I like to go up on the roof of our building and look at the bay. I watched the 4th of July fireworks there this year with friends. Coming from Canada, it was the perfect introduction to what I imagined small town America would be.

What would constitute a “perfect” day for you in your city?

Spoiler Alert: I love to bake! So, watching people enjoying what I’ve made kills it.

What is your best memory of something that’s happened to you in Benicia?

Everyone is so friendly and welcoming, and they were excited for us to open. All day they’d be pressing their hands against the windows and peering inside to view our progress. Sometimes one or two would venture inside, introduce themselves, and ask about the business and when we’d open. It was really supportive.
When we first discovered Benicia, we called it Ben-ee-see-a. Little did we know we were adding a third pronunciation! Locals pronounce it Ben-ee-shu unless they’ve been here a long time, then it’s Bun-ish-a.

Your training at Le Cordon Bleu has inspired your creativity. How do you use that?

Everything I make has its foundation in what I learned at Le Cordon Bleu. www.cordonbleu.edu