Dining: Trip to Bountiful Bakery is sweet indeed

The economic downturn of 2008 was a curse and a blessing for Denise Assad. After a prestigious career in advertising and design, she lost her job. Using her unemployment checks as start-up cash, she began baking and selling the fruits of her labor to parents at her son’s preschool. By 2009, she’d earned enough to join the Brentwood Farmer’s Market where her baking business really took off.

Flash forward five years and she’s still baking her grandmother’s recipes only now she has a brick-and-mortar space close to home. The La Cañada resident turned her hobby of baking vintage style pies, cakes, buns and bars into a full-fledged restaurant. Called Bountiful Bakery, the moniker suits Assad’s aesthetics.

The counters overflow with large batches of the day’s creations. Tuesdays might see Cinnamon-Walnut Sticky Buns and Chocolate Meringues among other delights. Fridays, customers may find Sauteed Leek Quiche or thick Meyer Lemon Bars. Assad herself is bounteously generous with offers of free samples. Everything you see is up for grabs, or rather sampling, as fresh cut pieces are offered on tissue by Assad or her assistant. Chances are customers will leave with a thick slab of Quiche Lorraine ($7) or a loaf of Chocolate Babka ($20) or a dozen sea salt chocolate chip cookies, a cookie as close to perfect as I’ve ever had ($2 each).

Assad is still gaining her footing here. Tables and chairs are gradually moving in. While it’s currently primarily a to-go spot, Assad’s goal is to create a place where people can sit and relax, perhaps with a cup of Stumptown Coffee or Cold Brew ($2 to $4). She chose Stumptown because she liked the Portland, Ore. coffee purveyors since trying them in her mom’s hometown. When she heard they had a roasting facility in downtown Los Angeles, it was a no-brainer.

Assad uses local sources when possible. The corned beef for her Chunky Hash and Fried Egg Breakfast Bowl ($7) comes from Gelsinger’s Meats up the road. Meats for her soon-to-appear sandwiches will come from La Crescenta’s Harmony Farms and roasted in-house. There’ll be turkey, smoked bacon and pastrami for her Clubs, BLTs, Reubens and Monte Cristos ($12).

Assad has brought on private chef Anna Serridge to craft her salads. The Salad Nicoise is a stunning blend of fresh line-caught tuna, impossibly delicate organic eggs, heirloom Farmer’s Market tomatoes, potatoes and beans in a lovely lemon-shallot vinaigrette ($14). The Chinese Chicken is wonderfully unique with its whole sugar snap peas, mandarin chunks, fried wontons and sliced organic chicken breast in a fabulous ginger-sesame dressing.

Bountiful Bakery also offers family-sized dinners to-go. Savory pot pies with chicken or braised beef feed eight to 10 for $55. Meatloaf, pot roast or seared salmon come with potatoes and veggies to feed a family of four ($45). Throw in a Blackout Cake ($65) and you’ve got an amazing birthday dinner.

My favorite individual items at Bountiful Bakery are the old-fashioned ones, the ones Assad probably got out of an 1886 Farmer’s Journal. The Apple Buckle is like a cross between cake and pie, the Pumpkin Pie with Candied Ginger Streusel is heavenly, the Carrot Cake dense, moist and sublime. If you’re into super-sweet, try the Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons. If you like it less sugary, the cinnamon-tinged Blueberry Cobbler Muffin is up your alley.

She gently warns that not all items are always available in-store but can be ordered in advance. Delivery is free in the Glendale, Montrose, La Cañada area with a $50 minimum order. Until you’re ready to place an order, go meet the delightful Denise Assad and try a few of her old-fashioned baked treats.

What: Bountiful Bakery

Where: 3527 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale

Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Prices: Baked sweets $2 to $6; Savory breakfast items and quiche $6 to $7; Whole pies and cakes $45 to $75; Salads and sandwiches $12 to $14

More info: (818) 795-8580, bountifulbakeryla.com
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LISA DUPUY welcomes suggestions and comments at LDupuy@aol.com.