Stroll through the city’s farmers’ markets this month, and you’ll be hit with the heady aroma of a season at its peak, rows of crimson nectarines and deep-purple plums bursting through the scene with vibrant urgency. Spilling onto the Santa Barbara food-scape, golden peaches and tender apricots reign over the city’s summer menus, adding texture to whisper-thin flatbreads and savory chutneys. But if you’re prone to rising with the roosters, amble over to one of Santa Barbara’s artisanal bakeries, where the permeating fragrance of brûléed stone fruit offers up the bounty of summer in a decidedly sweeter way.
Stone Fruit Galette at Helena Avenue Bakery
It’s only 8 a.m. when I walk through the doors of Helena Avenue Bakery, and already the line has started to snake its way around the counter, a gaggle of cyclists, suits, and rambunctious 8-year-olds rubbing shoulders as they lean closely into the bakery’s display case.