Lawson's Bakery
H
usband and wife duo Natalie and
Jeff Lawson’s first foray into the food
industry was the 2014 opening of Lawson’s Bakery at
15862 Monterey Road in Morgan Hill.
“We had no employees. We opened just the two of us,
a friend of mine and then our families,” Natalie said.
“I have three sisters and they were here helping. Our
moms were helping. We had grandmas running food. We
figured out rather quickly we needed to hire people.”
The couple, who met through a friend who worked
at CordeValle where Jeff was a pastry chef, moved to
Morgan Hill soon after they married in April of 2014.
“I love the community and now that we have kids I
like it even more,” Natalie said.
“We got married, we opened the bakery at the end of
that year, and we had our first daughter, [Taylor], like
10 months later,” Natalie said, adding that they had their
second child, Mackenzie, eight months ago.
“So, we’ve had a busy few years,” she said.
Jeff began his career while in his teens working
as a dishwasher at a small family-owned bakery. He
eventually attended the CCA (California Culinary
Academy), but his love of the food industry began
years earlier.
“I was in the food business for ten years before I went
to culinary school,” Jeff said.
“Most people go right after high school but I worked
a lot before I went there. I already have a strong back-
ground in savory cooking and bakeries.”
Jeff feels Lawson’s offers its clientele not just great
food but a great atmosphere; just like Cheers, “everybody
knows your name.”
“We seriously try to get to know everybody who walks
in the door, know their story, and who they are,” Jeff
said, adding that he is equally proud of the products
they offer.
“Everything is super seasonal. All our jams are made
from scratch,” Jeff said.
Natalie does admit she may be a bit biased about their
offerings.
“If the product isn’t good people won’t come back,
and I think the product is really good,” Natalie said, adding
that she feels the bakery’s welcoming staff is also a great
attraction.
“A friendly face and a big smile goes a long way,” Natalie
said.
The bakery’s top sellers are the sugar cookies, crois-
sants, and mini blueberry scones. Natalie’s favorite is the
apple cinnamon coffee cake.
“There’s apples in it and it’s really moist and delicious.”
As for Jeff, his picks are the blueberry scones, bread
pudding and the ginger snaps. “It’s sort of a molasses
cookie with icing on top,” Jeff said.
Artisanal creations of sugar, cinnamon, and of course, the pièce de résistance, chocolate,
entice the taste buds with promises of sweet sensations. These tempting creations and
more can be found at all the local bakeries, so why not try them all.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JUNE/JULY 2018
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