“I’m honored and a bit surprised,” says Kendra Baker, the chef behind the popular Penny Ice Creamery and the beachfront Picnic Basket café. “The Penny encompasses more than just ice cream; it’s very chef-oriented, thoughtful, hand-crafted food,” she adds.
Baker is a classically trained chef who got her start at Gabriella Café and has worked as a pastry chef at Manresa in Los Gatos. The businesses, co-owned with business partner Zachary Davis, are run like fine dining restaurants. Seasonal produce for ice cream and salads is sourced directly from local farms, and The Picnic Basket features ingredients from other Santa Cruz food artisans—like Companion Bakeshop bread, meats from el Salchichero and Verve coffee.
Runners up were: Brendan Jones of Lokal in Carmel Valley and Jason Giles of Jack’s at the Portola Hotel in Monterey.
About the author
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
