how it started
Faria (pronounced like Maria) is named after a California beach. The first years were bootstrapped together by Chris (founder), his college friend (and his van), the amazing Grace (of BlackwallBakery), and a few extraordinary family members. Defined by pure grit, we stayed up every Friday night, baking through the dark, and transporting racks of fully proofed croissants across town just to increase our yield. Said van windshield was smashed and the house almost burned down, but week after week, we delivered hundreds of loaves and pastries to the Folsom and Midtown markets. It was at the markets, under the easy-up canopies standing shoulder-to-shoulder with farmers for years, that the local farming relationship we have today were formed.
today
the bakery is co-run by myself and my partner Natalie. Natalie joined as a barista right after we opened our brick and mortar in 2019. She lasted maybe a day in that role—her intense discipline and creative eye made her growth as a chef immediate and instrumental to our growth. Natalie directs the pastry, coffee, and front-of-house, while I lead the bread and kitchen teams. Together, we also lead our teaching program where we share over a decade of professional baking experience.
what drives us
We live four blocks away with our ten chickens, three labs, three cats, and eleven fruit trees—our testing ground for the regenerative loop we preach. Chris brings a background in environmental science and mapping, providing the "paint-in-the-lines" technical structure of our culinary ecosystem. Natalie’s vision, defined by her Chinese heritage and a degree in industrial design, ensures we are as beautiful and thoughtful of the land as we are respectful.
By blending a production mindset with artistry, we’ve created a space where heritage shines through bread and pastry. We believe a rising tide lifts all boats; by investing in our farmers and this community, we work to make the world around us not only more sustainable, but kinder and more compassionate.
what we value
what we value
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what we value what we value 〰️
let’s make rain whole grain
We see bread and pastry as more than a vehicle for food; it’s a way to bring nutrition to our community. Using whole and ancient grains isn't just a health choice—it’s a culinary one. These grains offer a complexity you simply cannot get from sifted white flour. The same is true for naturally leavening all of our breads; by using a long fermentation process with wild yeast and bacteria, we neutralize phytic acid and break down gluten proteins, making the bread easier to digest and the nutrients more bioavailable.
Because we are obsessive about our sourdough program, we work with the wildness of these living organisms to create a unique depth of flavor in every bake. The results shift with the specific wheat crop, the Sacramento weather, and the temperament of our starter on any given morning. We don't fight these variables; we manage them to ensure our commitment to local grain and nutritional integrity results in the best-tasting product possible. Some of our favorites include Durum, Einkorn, Rouge de Bordeaux, Spelt, Rye, and Yecora Rojo, sourced from millers like Cairnspring Mills, Full Belly Farms, and Central Milling. If you want to know exactly what’s in your loaf or pastry, ask for our handy handout that breaks down which grains are used in each product.
sustainable food systems
We view "Farm-to-Fork" as more than just a tagline for the City of Trees; it is a conscious, difficult, and largely economic decision. To us, a local food economy mirrors Kevin Morse’s vision at Cairnspring Mills: a decentralized, regional system that restores the link between the field and local consumer. It is about moving away from a commodity system that exploits the land in a "race to the bottom," and moving toward a system that reconnects and reinvests through local food businesses. Last year, we had over a million dollars in expenses, with the vast majority of that spend going directly back into the regional economy. It takes years to build these relationships, and sourcing this way costs significantly more than a standard supplier—like, a lot more. We choose that cost because we believe in the ethos of partners like Cairnspring Mills and Full Belly Farm, who are building a sustainable food system that actually rewards the people who tend the earth. Last year, we serviced over 35,000 unique customers. Every loaf we sell is a deliberate investment in a kinder, more profitable, and more resilient future. We are deeply conscious of our impact on our Oak Park neighborhood and Sacramento as a whole.
Thank you for being here, for supporting our local farmers, and for actually giving a shit.
