For the past two years, a line snaked down the block many weekends for “Saturbakes,” a pastry and bread popup run out of a side door of the kitchen at Octavia in San Francisco. Pastry chef Melissa Loar’s hyper-seasonal creations — pear-cardamom monkey bread, rye-chocolate persimmon brownies — became so popular that now she and Octavia chef-owner Melissa Perello are opening Lorella, a full-time bakery.
Lorella is set to debut this fall at 2139 Polk St., previously the Bagelry, in Russian Hill. Expect seasonal breads, laminated pastries, and desserts made with local fruits, vegetables and grains. It will be open daily and will also produce bread for Frances and Octavia, as well as other, yet-to-be-announced retail stores. The bakery’s opening was first reported by the San Francisco Standard.
The weekly Saturbakes began in spring 2024, inspired by demand for Octavia’s sourdough bread and Perello’s desire to give Loar a creative outlet beyond producing plated desserts for Octavia. Saturbakes often sold out of pastries, which have included savory items, such as barbecue pulled-pork croissants and a scallion pancake-inspired focaccia, and sweets, such as twice-baked stone fruit and almond croissants. The owners told the Standard that they plan to serve pizza, cakes and ice cream at the new bakery…