Switch It On!

In this episode of The Switched On Podcast, hosts Amanda and Joshua bring listeners up to speed with the latest happenings at Switch Bakery. They discuss the development and challenges of opening their new café, including navigating permits and certifications. The duo highlights their commitment to sustainability, planning for the use of reusable packaging in collaboration with the city. They share updates on seasonal menu items like plum cakes, fig chocolate mochas, and new honey acquisitions, as well as fun baking projects such as a nostalgic black and white cookie and an intricate princess cake. The episode also covers market adventures and an update on retail partnerships for their gluten-free goodies. Finally, they tease upcoming plans and encourage listeners to custom order or find them at local markets.

* 00:00 Introduction to The Switched On Podcast

* 01:08 Updates on the New Cafe

* 04:38 Sustainable Practices and Community Engagement

* 14:43 Seasonal Menu Changes and Upcoming Events

* 19:37 Exploring Unique Ingredients and Recipes

* 26:01 Birthday Cakes and Special Orders

* 36:25 Weekly Market Plans

* 46:58 Sales Locations and Partnership Updates

In this exciting episode of the Switched On! Podcast, hosts Joshua and Amanda, the owners of Switch Bakery, share big news about their bakery's expansion. They reveal plans to open a new café bistro in downtown Santa Cruz, thanks to a recently approved lease with the city council. The duo discusses their vision for the café, menu ideas, and the unique features it will offer. They also talk about current market offerings, upcoming events, and new partnerships, such as their collaboration with Cornucopia in Carmel to carry bread and (exclusive) tea cake loaves Additionally, they share personal stories, including experiences from recent markets and the joy of reconnecting with regular customers and old friends. Sign up for their café journey email newsletter to stay updated and participate in exclusive tastings and events as they embark on the next evolution of Switch Bakery.

01:28 Big News: Switch Bakery's New Café04:44 Details About the New Bistro 11:12 Upcoming Events and Collaborations 17:07 Partnership with Cornucopia 21:18 Logistics talk26:12 Samosas make their debut29:39 New Sandos for this week 31:50 Rhubarb just for us37:18 Josh’s favorite treat EVER42:01 Market Stories

In this episode of the Switch It On! Podcast, Joshua and Amanda, owners of Switch Bakery, share updates on their bakery's latest offerings and adventures. The duo delve into bakery happenings — fresh banana blondies, granola, and diverse market products like vegan Caprese sandwiches and olive oil cakes with roasted strawberries. Amanda reflects on her inspiration from historical cookbooks and the challenges of seasonal baking, while Joshua hints at future cafe aspirations and their expanding retail presence, including new partnerships with Cornucopia in Carmel. The episode wraps up with a light-hearted Q&A, and a touch of gluten-free news.

00:51 Personal Celebrations

03:24 Market Insights and Bakery Updates

14:25 Granola Launch and Menu Evolution

23:03 Historical Inspirations and Lemon Cake Story

34:38 Sandwiches and Pies: A Warm Debate

35:28 Fruit Era: Embracing Summer's Bounty

39:04 New Vendor Announcement: Cornucopia in Carmel

43:52 Cafe Dreams

49:52 Gluten-Free News: Innovations and Stories

In this episode of the Switched On Podcast, Joshua and Amanda, owners and chefs at Switch Bakery, discuss their weekly happenings and new offerings. They delve into their summer menu, recount market stories, and share insights from Joshua's recent market walk. The duo also talks about their participation in upcoming events including a dessert event at the Elks Lodge and a farm-to-table fundraiser at Live Earth Farm. They touch upon the challenges of running a cafe with a focus on sustainability and reusable food ware, and highlight the importance of gut health with practical tips on integrating nutrient-rich foods into daily diets. Listener insights and questions on healthy eating, summer foods, and picnic culture are explored, making for a lively and informative discussion.

Links for this episode: Live Earth Farm Discovery Thrive, Fall Feast, September 20, 2025.

00:48 Discussing the Summer Menu and Market Stories

07:21 Life-Changing Blueberry Hand Pie

08:20 S'mores Cake and Marshmallow Talk

15:01 Sustainable Cafe Plans

19:45 Challenges of Fast Casual Dining

24:23 Sandwiches and Market Highlights

26:41 Market Walk Insights: The Power of Polyphenols

30:01 Cooking Tips: Instant Pot and Food Hacks

37:04 Summer Foods and Picnic Ideas

46:11 Upcoming Events and Community Engagement

In this episode, Amanda and Joshua broadcast live from the Switch Bakery Studios in Monterey. They discuss their recent 4th of July holiday activities, including taking time off and enjoying a family barbecue. The episode focuses on their weekly podcast about gluten-free baking, health tips, and community market stories. They share their top summertime market picks, upcoming events like a healthy market walk and a talk on aging and inflammation, and introduce new products such as hotdog buns and summer sandwiches. They also discuss the growing popularity of their bread club subscription service. The conversation ends with a series of reflective questions about their baking ingredients and the products they'd love to develop in the future.

Links to things talked about in this episode

Market Walk June 10th @ 10am: Click Here

Top 10 summer songs on Peloton: Click Here

New Bread-only Subscription is available! Click Here

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Holiday Recap

01:15 Summertime Vibes and Music

03:01 July Market Schedule and Events

04:44 Healthy Market Shopping Tips

10:43 Birthday Season and Cakes

12:55 Favorite Market Finds

21:28 Record-Breaking Market Day

25:12 Customer Stories and Feedback

26:35 Market Success and New Sandwiches

30:32 Summer Menu Highlights

33:37 Subscription Growth and Options

37:13 Podcast Discoveries and Business Aspirations

42:11 Ingredient Preferences and Challenges

50:05 Favorite Products and Future Plans

Welcome to episode 24 of the Switch It On podcast!

The only place where we are sharing what we are up to, stories from the market, and what’s on this week’s menu. We record this podcast weekly, by simply switching on the microphone and record a casual conversation!

Now serving a gluten-free cinnamon roll at the Saturday morning markets! How did we pull it off? And why did we decide to turn our signature brioche into a cinnamon roll treat? Tune in to find out the delicious details.

In our last episode we talked about becoming a fan, and the important roll our fans have in helping propel us forward. With the vibes high, and energy boiling over — we are sharing some really big news in our efforts to create a cafe.

There is a very important piece of legislation working its way through the legislative process. The ADDE bill, California Senate Bill 68 aims to require restaurants to clearly list major food allergens on menus. We discussed a recent experience Joshua had while traveling, why this bill is so important, and some ways to get involved (plus a few links below for more info).

Here are the quick links to the topics we discussed. Need more details? Click on any link below and find your way to it.

1) Summer Market Schedule: https://switchbakery.com/updates/summer-market-schedule-may-2025

2) Switch Bakery fan page:

https://switchbakery.com/p/fans

3) Where to find us around the Monterey Bay:

* Wednesday and Saturday markets in Santa Cruz.

* Fresh loaves of bread at Elroys Fine Foods in Monterey

* Switch Bakery inside Cruise Coffee Cafe in Scotts Valley

* Chubbs Chicken for a rad gluten-free fried chicken sandwich on our BLD Buns. Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to sell-out.

* Tea cakes at BookWorks in Pacific Grove

4) June Menu: https://switchbakery.com/updates/june-2025-menu

5) ADDE bill summary and status: https://www.allergicliving.com/2025/06/10/big-push-on-to-see-adde-allergy-menu-bill-succeed-in-california/

6) We talked briefly about other important pieces of legislation. The Restroom Access Act, also known as Ally's Law. Passed by more than a dozen states in the US, it requires retail stores that have private restrooms (not available to the public) be available for people with medical conditions who need immediate access to a restroom. Lots of information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restroom_Access_Act

Welcome to episode 23 of the Switch It On podcast!

The only place where we are sharing what we are up to, stories from the market, and what’s on this week’s menu. We record this podcast weekly, by simply switching on the microphone and have a conversation about how we are building a gluten-free bakery from scratch, the latest trends and ingredients in the gluten-free world, and whatever else comes up!

We also took on a few serious topics …

» The downtown market it moving to a new location, starting June 4th! Listen in as we share how to easily find the new market location, and where our new spot is.

» Join us for a market talk with Joshua. Scheduled for June 11 at 2pm. Joshua, an autoimmune athlete and co-founder of Switch Bakery, will lead a market tour, highlighting tips and tricks to shop the market for ingredients that are good for gut health and have anti-inflammatory properties.

If you want to join us, meet at the Switch Bakery stand at 2pm on June 11.

Nesh, the director of the Santa Cruz Community markets, is going to join the walk too. He’ll be along to answer any market or farming related questions.

» Picture this: A European-style café serving fresh-baked bread, creative sandwiches and flatbread pizzas by day, transforming into a zero-proof cocktail and dessert lounge by night.

To make this dream a reality, we're building a community of supporters who share our vision. No crowdfunding, no financial commitment – just your enthusiasm and support. We're looking for people who believe in what we're creating and want to be part of our journey. Visit the Switch Bakery fan page (link below0 for complete details.

Here are a few quick links to the topics we discussed. Need more details? Click on any link below and find your way to it.

1) Summer Market Schedule: https://switchbakery.com/updates/summer-market-schedule-may-2025

2) Switch Bakery fan page:

https://switchbakery.com/p/fans

3) Where to find us around the Monterey Bay:

* Wednesday and Saturday markets in Santa Cruz.

* Fresh loaves of bread at Elroys Fine Foods in Monterey

* Switch Bakery inside Cruise Coffee Cafe in Scotts Valley

* Chubbs Chicken for a rad gluten-free fried chicken sandwich on our BLD Buns.

* Tea cakes and cookies at BookWorks in Pacific Grove

4) June Menu: https://switchbakery.com/updates/june-2025-menu

This is a podcast where we simple switch on the microphone and have a conversation about the how we are building a gluten-free bakery from scratch, the latest trends and ingredients in the gluten-free world.

It’s birthday season around here, the season when our six-person family celebrates all birthdays within about 2 months. Joshua’s is up first, but what can a guy do for a birthday adventure when he’s still recovering from a surgery? We talked about where we went & what we ate.

You'll also get updates on our bakery, including our expanded summer cookie menu. We discuss what else is new and where you can find our products around the Monterey Bay area.

It is no secret that telling stories from the markets is my favorite type of discussion. We shared some funny moments from the last few weeks, and Joshua made it to visit a couple of markets - so he’s got a few memories too.

Our very fabulous Plum cake has made its seasonal debut.

We've included a few quick links to the topics we discuss, so be sure to check those out for more details.

1) Summer Market Schedule

2) Training for Surgery https://www.gotostepone.com/posts/training-for-surgery

3) Retail & Cafe partners around the Monterey Bay:

* Loaves of bread at Elroys Fine Foods in Monterey

* Switch Bakery inside Cruise Coffee Cafe in Scotts Valley

* Chubbs Chicken for a rad glute-free fried chicken sandwich on our BLD Bun (closed week of 5/26)

* Tea cakes and cookies at BookWorks in Pacific Grove

4) The plastic lurking in your “perfect” protein bar

5) Check out the details of our very delicious Summer plum cake

The Switch It On podcast is back with a round up of stories from the markets, where to find us, and what’s on the menu.

Next, Joshua and Amanda dive into what we’ve been up to, how Joshua’s post-surgery recovery is going, and highlights from our reading and watching lists.

Later, we play another round of Name That Product, a quick game where we guess the product based only on the ingredients listed. And wow, wow, wow does this one have a few surprises.

Plus, Amanda’s question for the Mom’s out there in preparation for Mother’s Day.

Here are some links to things we mentioned in this episode:

* Where to find us through May, 2025

* Our instagram account, where you can follow along, talk to us, and see our menus as they are created.

* The downtown Santa Cruz Farmers Market is moving to a new location on May 21 - here are the details.

* Amanda loved this book she just finished: Death of Author by Nnedi Okorafor and now she’s reading The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones. Two very different books, but if you are looking for a new read - she couldn’t love these two more.

* Josh is reading and writing, and watching, and doing all the things he can while resting and recovering. Among them he mentioned Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacobs, the movie Sinners written & directed by Ryan Coogler. (with so much press and buzz around this movie - I linked to Wikipedia here 🧐)

* This bullet point is a place holder and will be updated with a link to Joshua’s (in process) blog post about the ingredient EPG oil that he mentioned during our Name That Product Game.

Welcome to our 20th episode! We're excited to share an update on Joshua's recent surgery and hospital stay at Stanford. We'll explore how he prepared for the procedure, discuss the food options and his routine during the long hospital visit, and hear from Amanda about how she spent her time on surgery day.

You'll also get a sneak peek into what's new at the bakery, including our Easter week menu and schedule, as well as where you can find our products around the Monterey Bay area.

We've included a few quick links to the topics we discuss, so be sure to check those out for more details.

1) Training for Surgery

2) Spring Market Schedule

3) Where to find us around the Monterey Bay:

* Loaves of bread at Elroys Fine Foods in Monterey

* Switch Bakery inside Cruise Coffee Cafe in Scotts Valley

* Chubbs Chicken for a rad glute-free fried chicken sandwich on our BLD Bun

* Tea cakes and cookies at BookWorks in Pacific Grove