Two next-door neighbors recently opened up a European-style bakery in Redwood City, aptly named The Baker Next Door.
About 10 years ago, when then-San Francisco residents Jenna Johnson and her husband were expecting their first child, they moved into a new home in Redwood City. It was right next door to the Clarke family — and Brian Clarke introduced himself as the neighborhood curmudgeon.
The families quickly became friends. Clarke’s daughter babysat for the Johnsons, and the “curmudgeon” turned out to be an intellectual property lawyer and general counsel with a penchant for baking.
Clarke says he’d been a fan of excellent bread since trying Acme Bread Co. during his UC Berkeley undergrad days. His baking fascination deepened when his young family moved to Belgium for his spouse’s job. Once back in the U.S., Clarke built out a commercial kitchen in his garage and began sharing his baked goods with the neighborhood.
The Asiago cheese and olive bread loaf at the Baker Next Door in Redwood City is among the highlights on the bakery menu. (Courtesy Jenna Johnson)
Meanwhile, Johnson was no stranger to the restaurant world. She’d worked in a kitchen in Brooklyn before coming to California, where she’d taken on a graveyard-shift baker role with Mayfield Bakery before moving to front-of-house roles at Boulevard and Foreign Cinema. She went on to help her family revive The Hut in Santa Clara.
After that project, she says, “We joked about opening a spot of our own.” They took the plunge in September 2023, building a seasonal, farm-to-table menu around Clarke’s breads.
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The bakery opened this summer on Redwood City’s Main Street, slinging baked goods to the community with everything from fresh baguettes and country loaves to pain au chocolat, monkey bread and liège waffles — the latter an homage to Clarke’s time in Belgium. On the savory side, they’ve got Clarke’s new favorite, an asiago, olive and thyme loaf, plus salads and sandwiches like a Croque Monsieur and a focaccia sandwich topped with vegetables.
“Once people visit us, we know they’ll come back,” Clarke says.
Details: Open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 851 Main St. in Redwood City; thebakernextdoorrwc.com.
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