Former Capitola mayor Gayle Ortiz brings a high-energy feel to her namesake bakery.
Gayle Ortiz is a mosaic artist, a clothing-maker and a former Capitola mayor who happens to co-own a bakery on the side with her husband Joe, a playwright and songwriter. Gayle, who may run for city council again someday, sat down with us by the fire to talk about her never-ending menu.
SCW: What kind atmosphere do you try to have?
GAYLE ORTIZ: Friendly, number one. The sales staff has got to be having a good time. It’s overwhelming when you first walk in, with all the food and all the people. If we can keep a nice friendly atmosphere, that helps. I want it to be a wonderland, where you walk in and there’s nothing else like it. The sheer volume, mass of food, gets to you. Then you start looking at the colors and the shapes and all the choices.
How do you make the marinated chicken sandwich?
That particular marinade is lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary. We have several different marinades that we sell. We have boned chicken breasts that we sell themselves—one’s done with a lime marinade, one with a lemon marinade and another with a fruit marinade. And then we do Chicken Diablo that has a whole different flavor profile.
And your salads?
You’ve got to bump up the flavors. People might eat something simple at home. But they don’t go out to eat something simple. They want something with a big flavor profile, a big bang.
If you could eat one Gayle’s item to eat for the rest of your life, which would you pick?
Well, it probably would have to be savory. The roasted chicken. I’d take that home because I can do a million different things with that. I can make an enchilada out of it. I can make a pasta out of it. I can make a sandwich out of it. I can make an omelet out of it.
Why do you have a fireplace here?
Well, we figured if it was good enough for the cave men, it was good enough for us. Fire is a very attractive thing for people.
What do you think of the job supervisor Zach Friend has done?
He’s staying in touch with everyone he needs to stay in touch with. He’s still leering the job and doing a lot of research on that. I think he’s going to be terrific as the job goes on. He’s just a natural.
