Rustic Crisps Cherry & Cacao

The Crisps

The bakery's guiding principle is to be in control of product quality from start to finish. They've been using the same sourdough starter for their flatbreads since day one. They make their own crème fraîche in small batches, from scratch, every week with ingredients supplied by local dairies. 

They're fortunate to have their commercial bakery located in Sonoma County, home to some of the best ingredients available anywhere.

The Bakery

These famous crisps are a Bay Area success story. And who doesn't love it when a home town entrepreneur makes good?!

The story begins with a local couple, Carol LeValley & Josh Harris, who started Rustic Bakery on a whim in 2005. The couple developed a passion for baking in a simple sourdough flatbread cracker that Carol would whip up for friends. As their hobby grew into a business, it went through the usual stops and starts, two-forward-one-back challenges. 

But it really got a boost into the statosphere one day when they stopped at the San Francisco Ferry Building where the Cowgirl Creamery had its cheese store. They mentioned to owners Sue Conley and Peggy Smith that their cheeses deserved artisan crackers. The Cowgirls bit, literally, into a sourdough flatbread and immediately placed an order for 50 cases.

Rustic Bakery produced their first product in a commercial bakery space behind a wine bar which was quickly taken over and turned into a cafe where Carol and Josh served coffee, baked goods and salads accompanied with flatbread crackers.