Gayle’s Bakery

For 45 years, Gayle’s has been “everyone’s favorite bakery.” This time out on the podcast, we talk with Gayle and Joe Ortiz, who met when Joe was formerly dating Gayle’s neighbor, met her, and “never left”- they’re approaching their 50th wedding anniversary. 

The bakery started simple, with Gayle learning how to make croissants and eventually opening a small shop at the corner of Capitola and Bay Avenues - they knew it was a great location, as Gayle had spent a lot of time vacationing in Capitola. Gayle’s father said “You can’t just make croissants. You also need to at least make bread.” That’s where Joe came in:  He learned to bake bread. (Fun fact: He was a painter and says “Dough was easy. It was the same consistency as spackle.”) 

Over the years, and 4,500 recipes later, Gayle’s has grown into the enterprise you see today with everything from cookies to catering and even the rosticceria that’s part of the facility. They’ve grown with the times, and in particular, learned how to adjust what they do during the Covid pandemic, to make their business more efficient AND keep their employees and customers safe. 

Outside of Gayle’s Bakery, Gayle is an artist and Joe is a writer and musician. Follow them on Instagram @gaylesbakery.

Listen to some of Joe’s original music from Bread - The Musical and Escaping Queens by visiting www.ortizpresents.com