If you’re already one of Relic Bageri’s 16.5K followers on Instagram, you may have already heard the popular pop-up is opening its first standalone restaurant and bakery next year. But we have new details about the space opening at 845 15th Street in Makers Quarter.
If this is the first you’ve heard about it, here’s a quick catch-up: In 2020, Samantha Bird and Derek Hadden were both working in restaurants, which, of course, all closed for the pandemic. “I am the type of personality that can’t sit still,” laughs Bird, so she started baking at home for friends and family.
She had plenty of experience—she’d been the pastry chef at Mille Fleurs, lead baker at Herb & Wood, as well as at Juniper & Ivy, Meyers Bageri in Denmark, and Boulangerie Bio Pains et Merveilles in France. Her partner Hadden also had plenty of experience, working at esteemed kitchens like Juniper & Ivy, Addison, and Herb & Wood, where the two met.
Their products got so popular so fast that they started doing pop-ups and signed a wholesale agreement with Communal Coffee soon after. After around eight months, they realized they needed more space than their apartment kitchen and moved to Maker Kitchens in Miramar. From there, the wholesale business expanded to over a dozen accounts, plus they began hosting their ups every weekend to experiment and craft their voice.
TL;DR: This is a big deal.
Once Relic opens around May or June of next year, their menu will encompass plenty of pastries, bread, and sandwiches. Still, they will incorporate Hadden’s more savory-oriented kitchen experience with items like pâté and housemade sausages. “Not being a pastry chef coming into this, I think, is a good point of view because all of our savory pastries start like a dish—like a plated dish—and then you take away and figure out a proper way to put it on a pastry,” Hadden explains. “I think that’s a point of view that not many bakeries have.”
Bird believes another unique aspect of Relic will be some of her breads, including more dark, European-style rye breads and other items commonly found in Germany or Denmark but not often in the United States. She points to their Danish rugbrød as one example. “It’s a dark, dense rye loaf that we’ve been doing since day one… [and] the more people try it, the more people buy it.”
Much of the Nordic-inspired design comes from Bird’s experience working in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Even the name, Bageri, is Danish for bakery.) “We want to put a lot of effort into making it a really comfortable, warm, inviting space,” says Bird. “I think that’s what Derek and I have missed the most about this whole pop-up is just not being able to host people and have people come and stay.”
The interior will cover around 1,700-square-feet, plus a 500-square-foot outdoor patio with a working fireplace. To achieve what operations manager Jeff Murray calls a “neutral, natural” space, the team is working with Sarah Hirschman and Ann Worth, partners behind local design firm Object Projects, to bring the cozy concept to life. The remodel and permitting process means Relic won’t open until next year.
In the meantime, customers can still place preorders Wednesday through Saturday on their website, with pickup locations at Necessity Coffee in Encinitas, Home Ec in Kensington, and Relic’s existing location in Miramar. You can also check their Instagram for special drops and events over the holiday season.
Even with big, significant changes on the horizon for the team, Bird says one thing will remain the same. “Things are becoming automated, but I think we’ll always be very artisanal, making things from scratch,” she promises. “Doing things the old way—that will always make the best product.”
Place preorders for pickup on Relic’s website here.
San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events
Las Cuatro Milpas Collaborates On “Roses To Remember” Event on December 14
Local artist Natalia Ventura and Beatriz Estudillo of the Estudillo family behind Las Cuatros Milpas are hosting Roses to Remember on December 14 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the iconic Barrio Logan restaurant (which, again, is not imminently closing or selling their property). The collaborative event spotlights memory workers in San Diego and will feature multiple DJs, artists, and an interactive mural for the community to create in real-time. Bring cash for tacos, drinks, and new Las Cuatros Milpas merchandise.
Cellar Hand Hosts New “Hand Made” Series
Cellar Hand may only be a few months old. Still, the Hillcrest restaurant operated by the Pali Wine Co. family has already turned heads with their innovative use of hyper-local ingredients, like Thompson Heritage Ranch’s sustainably-raised pork and pâté topped with orange wine Jell-O shots. Now, they’re launching a new series called Hand Made, the first of which kicks off on Thursday, December 12 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a Winemaker Night featuring Aaron Walker, winemaker at Pali Wine Co. Wine tastings come in at $45, with food pairings by chef Logan Kendall costing another $45. Reservations are available here.
Beth’s Bites
- Local brewery Pure Project is making… wine? Sure, why not? Its taprooms now carry two California-made wines: a 2020 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon and a 2023 Santa Barbara Sauvignon Blanc. I’m a fan of their beers, so I’m game to give these new beverages a whirl.
- Speaking of changes, we have an update on the very anticipated, significantly delayed Chick & Hawk restaurant by skateboarding icon Tony Hawk and chef Andrew Bachelier. It’s not much news—just that they’re starting construction—but at least it’s something!
- Santee residents probably won’t have to wait quite as long for American comfort food chain The Stand to open at 9355 Mission Gorge Road. And if you can’t wait, you can always visit their first San Diego location at Carmel Mountain Ranch.
Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city’s food scene? Send your pitches to [email protected].
