{"id":20182895,"date":"2025-07-09T07:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T14:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/?p=20182895"},"modified":"2025-07-09T12:59:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T19:59:15","slug":"craftsman-and-wolves-new-mountain-view-location","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.metrosiliconvalley.com\/craftsman-and-wolves-new-mountain-view-location\/","title":{"rendered":"Dessert Island in Mountain View"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The pastry case at the new Craftsman and Wolves location in Mountain View was empty by the time I arrived. To the right of it, seven brightly colored desserts remained on hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They were all fancifully composed in jewel tones on their temporary plates. A thin green smile (or mustache) made of a curved sliver of cucumber skin was held in place on the side of three strawberry cucumber pink \u201cpills\u201d ($14). A pansy\u2014violet, purple or yellow\u2014was centered on top of each one. The two blood orange cardamom clouds ($16) looked like extra material removed from Elmo\u2019s furry coat. And one remaining yellowy mango prism cake ($16) glowed intensely in the corner of the drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since first opening in 2012, Craftsman and Wolves has been making surprising or challenging baked goods, depending on your go\u00fbt de vivre<\/em>. Guided by William Werner until 2019, and then by Lawrence Lai until his death earlier this year, ordinary chocolate croissants turned into triple chocolate croissants. Ham and cheese croissants transformed into havarti and mortadella ones with cornichon relish and vegetable confetti. Their Scotch egg, called \u201cThe Rebel Within,\u201d became a signature item on the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the company continues to expand its presence in the South Bay, Sam Ceccotti is the current executive chef who\u2019s continuing the bakery\u2019s commitment to making sweet and savory innovations. After a tour of \u201cthe Den,\u201d the central kitchen and distribution hub located in San Francisco for all of the Craftsman and Wolves\u2019 locations, Ceccotti talked with me about her culinary approach. \u201cI\u2019m all about texture,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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STOCKED UP Full counters at the new Mountain View location. PHOTO: Craftsman and Wolves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lai hired Ceccotti after she passed a baking test. \u201cI was asked to make a mousse cake and something laminated that showed my style and my flavors,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right out of culinary school, she worked as the executive pastry chef at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga. Growing up, her paternal grandmother took her through the Wilton Cookbook, which demonstrates the myriad ways bakers can decorate their cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being drawn to the art of making sugar flowers and piping, she decided she wanted to become a pastry chef. \u201cI would always experiment in my kitchen and loved to make pastries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the pink pill, she drew inspiration from a cocktail with the same flavors. Its central core is made with a cucumber lemon mousse and an elderflower sponge cake. It tastes like an ethereal mini-cheesecake. She coats the bottom of the cake with a layer of puffed rice, tinted pink from strawberries. The outside corresponds with a strawberry confiture inside, the pink coat shines like a fresh coat of nail polish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceccotti said she started with the elderflower cake first. \u201cThe next element that I put on top of that will highlight or enhance it,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt has the floral quality of the St. Germain [liqueur]. Since it\u2019s summer, strawberries are so delicious\u2014they\u2019re bright red and sweet\u2014and then the strawberry cucumber mousse adds a bit more acidity to balance out the sweetness.\u201d The strawberry puffed rice complements all of these textures with a final pop of crunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Woman<\/a>
OVEN FRESH Craftsman and Wolves wares are made in \u2018the Den,\u201d a central kitchen and distribution hub in San Francisco. PHOTO: Henry Rubin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is a broadcast quality air of perfection about Craftsman and Wolves\u2019 desserts. \u201cOur products are not cheap, so we want to put the best product out for the price,\u201d Ceccotti said. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to give someone a cake that looks like it got bumped, we don\u2019t want a culture of putting out something that\u2019s less than ideal looking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To carry out this level of quality control, she trains her sous bakers to lead individual sections of the kitchen. \u201cWe all collaborate on everything. It\u2019s always an ongoing thing, learning what works and what doesn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With new bakeries opening every month in the Bay Area, Ceccotti understands the nature of retail competition. \u201cIn the city, if you\u2019re not constantly changing and bringing a new product, people get bored of you,\u201d she said. They\u2019ll move on to the next hotly anticipated thing. \u201cMy job as a chef is to keep new creativity flowing and put it on the menu to keep everyone interested.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Craftsman and Wolves, 400 San Antonio Rd., Mountain View. Open Monday\u2013Friday 7:30am\u20132pm, Saturday\u2013Sunday 8am\u20132pm. craftsman-wolves.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since first opening in 2012, Craftsman and Wolves has been making surprising or challenging baked goods, depending on your go\u00fbt de vivre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14789,"featured_media":20182897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_expiration-date-status":"","_expiration-date":0,"_expiration-date-type":"","_expiration-date-categories":[],"_expiration-date-options":[]},"categories":[1691],"tags":[14331,4565],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n