In 1978, Gayle & Joe Ortiz started a small bakery in 800 square feet, with one friend serving 10 items. Five years later, the Rosticceria, an Italian deli with a wood-burning rostisserie was added. Today, Gayle's is a thriving 10,000 square foot food emporium with two successful cookbooks and 115 employees.

Everyday, they transform the best natural ingredients like real butter, fresh eggs and organic flour into more than 500 different pastries, cakes, cookies, breads, sandwiches and entreés. Even the mayonnaise is made for scratch! Freshness in the food business can be a relative term. Here it means daily or hourly.

Like village bakeries everywhere, Gayle's is a meeting spot for locals, many of whom stop in several times a day. It is a destination for people from all over the world who love food.

A visit begins before you even open the door. Early in the morning, the air outside is filled with the smell of yeasty Danish baking. Later a peek in the window reveals the warm fire of the rostisserie spinning with golden chickens. In the afternoon, the aroma of chocolate cakes baking tempts you to come in. Inside, stunning displays in gleaming showcases beckon you to select as much or as little as you like, on your time schedule. You can have hot pasta and garlic bread for breakfast or a Bear Claw and a cappuccino for dinner.

Service is casual. Take a number and relish the wait; it will give you time to decide among a myriad of treats. Have a glass of wine outside on the heated patio, eat inside the Café or espresso bar, or take it "to go" for a picnic on the beach. Nestled above the quaint Capitola Village at 504 Bay Avenue, Capitola. Forty minutes north of the Monterey Peninsula and ten minutes south of Santa Cruz. Open 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily with a few exceptions. We are closed Easter Sunday, Christmas Day & New Year's Day. We close at 5:00 pm on July 4th, October 31st, December 24th & December 31st.