When one thinks of bread in the Bay Area, thoughts usually drift to gold-crusted bowls filled with chowder, or lines of levain seekers in front of a certain Mission District establishment. Sourdough has been a staple here since it was first introduced in the 1850s by gold miners looking for a loaf that didn’t spoil easily. The gluten is strong with this place.

During the pandemic, we heard rumblings about a bakery beyond the domain of these usual suspects. A church of crumb in a small delta town that was once home to California’s state capitol. A food haven that somehow was churning out not only perfectly flaky croissants, but buttery brioche donuts, take-home lasagne trays,
and fileted local salmon. Benicia’s own One House Bakery.

Feeding Community

One House Bakery is the dream of Chef Hannalee Pervain. At age 10, she was mesmerized by her mom mixing dough in a glass bowl on the counter. It was from that moment that she knew she wanted to run her own bakery. 

Chef Hannalee runs a tight ship. Her crew, 80% of whom identify
as womxn, crank out an astounding variety of baked goods, meal kits, and house-butchered meats. Her goal is seemingly simple
but as Covid has taught us mind-bogglingly complex: to feed her community.

Baking with a Twist

We first approached Chef Hannalee about filming One House primarily because of her emphasis on giving womxn a stronger position in the food industry…and because we had fallen in love
with her pastries. It was only after the baking was done and we sat down for an interview that her very personal covid story came out. She said that we were the first people outside of her family and crew that she had told.

That changed everything. This was no longer just a story about an incredible womxn-run bakery. This was about the often-invisible suffering of essential front line food workers. We were incredibly humbled that Chef Hannalee trusted us with this very personal story. In sharing her struggles, we hope that her story is able to raise awareness about a very real aspect of an essential-yet-broken industry: the one staffed by those who keep us fed.