It takes a lot of coffee + hugs to live the life of a baker.
SAM
SCHWARTZ
Owner
During a stint in London in 2016, Sam fell in love with the city’s take on bread (shout out to E5 Bakehouse for being an OG inspiration!), and he took a bread class while his wife Amanda toiled away in grad school. Sam decided that upon their return to their houseboat nestled in Sausalito, California, he would start a bakery.
They did return, and Sam made good on his promise. He staged with whoever would take him and practiced baking loaves (sometimes successfully) out of a dutch oven in the galley kitchen of their boat, The Porthole Kid. His first bakery gig started with sweeping the floors and scaling flour and a year later, as a Head Baker. When he felt like he understood how a high-production kitchen and the artistry of baking might meet, he took a leap. With equal parts impatience and skill and with a penchant for risk taking, Portside Bakery was born.
With a love of high-hydration sourdough and carefully crafted pastries using local flavors and ingredients, Sam started Portside from a commercial kitchen, and eventually moved to a kitchen production space just a few blocks from his houseboat in Sausalito.
Portside Bakery now has a crew of more than just Sam– a group of deeply talented bakers and market staff dedicated to the art of making, and who inspire and co-create Portside’s products and menus. He feels very lucky to be surrounded by good folks who are crazy enough to be in this industry, just as he is.
Portside’s products are available twice a week at farmers’ markets in Marin and San Francisco. Come say hello and try our tasty bread and pastries!
