Quick Take
This fall, a menu of three new food and drink businesses opening in Santa Cruz County includes a new bakery in the Capitola Mall, a new Santa Cruz location for a Watsonville-based market and fruit-infused ice cream from a hip Portland shop.
Summer might be winding down, but there are three new food and drink businesses to look forward to in Santa Cruz County this fall.
In Capitola, Dani O Bakeshop, a bakery focused on organic naturally leavened baked goods, is coming to the food court at the Capitola Mall. It joins other locally owned businesses including Sugar Bakery, Kaito Ramen and the forthcoming Coffee Conspiracy (opening this winter), in line with the mall’s nontraditional approach to dining.
Portland, Oregon-based Nico’s Real Fruit Ice Cream will open its fourth location on the West Coast on Locust Street in Santa Cruz, bringing vanilla ice cream blended with fruits like strawberries and blackberries to the northern end of downtown. Also in Santa Cruz, grocery store La Reina Fresh Market is going into the former Twice As Nice Discount Store – and former La Esperanza Market before that – on the corner of Mission Street and Laurel Street. La Reina has two locations in Watsonville, and specializes in Mexican supermarket products and fresh juices.
Dani O Bakeshop
1855 41st Ave., Capitola
Opening: Sept. 24
Veteran baker Danielle Orlando plans to offer a wide range of breads and treats at her bakery inside the food court at the Capitola Mall, from sourdough sandwich loaves, brioche and English muffins, to focaccia-style pizza, toasts and sandwiches, and pastries such as naturally leavened sticky buns, muffins, cookies and brownies. Two things she definitely won’t have: refined sugars or unhealthy oils. Instead, Orlando uses coconut sugar in many of her sweet treats, and fats like high-quality butter, olive oil and tallow.
Using organic and sustainable ingredients in all of her baked goods is paramount to Orlando, who also sources fruits and vegetables from local farms. Dani O Bakeshop will be open Thursday through Monday starting at 9 a.m., with online ordering and delivery available within 8 miles of the mall. A grand-opening celebration is set for Friday, Sept. 27, with a ribbon-cutting and complimentary treats and drinks. “I can’t wait to feature pies and holiday treats and bread for everyone’s family tables,” said Orlando.
Nico’s Real Fruit Ice Cream
111 Locust St., Santa Cruz
Opening: Mid-November
New Zealand-style ice cream is coming to downtown Santa Cruz by way of Portland, Oregon. Owner Nico Vergara started his business, Nico’s Real Fruit Ice Cream, as an ice cream cart in 2021, and now has two brick-and-mortar stores in Portland, with a third location coming soon to Cannery Row in Monterey – the first in California. This fall, the fourth Nico’s will open on Locust Street in downtown Santa Cruz.
Nico’s makes New Zealand ice cream by blending real fruit – like raspberry, strawberry, blueberry and blackberry – into a vanilla ice cream base using a special machine that gives it a whipped, soft serve-like texture. At the Santa Cruz store, he plans to use fruit from local farms, Vergara told Lookout, and offer toppings such as rainbow sprinkles, tajín and coconut flakes.
La Reina Fresh Market
1204 Mission St., Santa Cruz
Opening: Fall
Watsonville-based grocery store La Reina Fresh Market is opening a third shop, on Mission Street in Santa Cruz, its first in the northern part of the county. The location at the busy corner of Mission and Laurel streets housed the Twice As Nice Discount Store until 2022, and La Esperanza Market until 2012. Like the other markets, on Rodriguez Street and East Lake Avenue in Watsonville, the upcoming Santa Cruz location will offer fresh fruits and vegetables, a deli and meat counter, grocery essentials including a large selection of Mexican products, as well as freshly squeezed juices.
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