Seasonal Bakery and Teahouse Blooms in South Park | Eater San Diego

"Inside an adjacent space the Rose converted, Secret Sister quietly opened for two weekends and launches in earnest this Thursday as a bakery and cafe open Thursday–Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; pastries and bread are offered until noon and the full Rose menu is available through the afternoon. I learned that Neale Holaday, a pro pastry chef who ran pastry at Michelin-starred Betony and at Marlow & Sons and Diner in Williamsburg before moving from New York City, is heading the baking program; Holaday and her husband (a chef and whole-animal butcher) came to San Diego for its local ingredients after running a popular La Jolla farmers market stall and a catering outfit called Alma. The bakery will always have a seasonal fruit pie (whole or by the slice), a seasonal take on sticky buns, and a daily-variant quiche, with other staples including citrus meringue pie, dark chocolate pie, homemade ice cream, scones, cookies, coffee cake, and savory gougères; breads — baguette, country loaf, and brioche buns — are based on a 150-year-old sourdough starter passed down from a local family. Secret Sister will provide bread and other items for the Rose and for the upcoming Mabel’s Gone Fishing, plans to expand into sandwiches and laminated viennoiseries, and while it offers drip and chicory coffee the emphasis is more on organic teas from Samovar Tea (from matcha on nitro to Hong Kong milk tea, spiced chai, and a variety of loose-leaf teas)." - Candice Woo