The bakery has been quietly selling loaves and croissants from an industrial baking facility at 846 Independence Ave. There's no signage, seating or counter to order at; an employee likened it to going to a speakeasy.
Husband-and-wife owners Mac and Jaime McConnell inherited the space from Acme Bread.
Bread baskets inside The Midwife and the Baker's facility in Mountain View. Photo by Elena Kadvany.
Mac was head instructor for several years at The San Francisco Baking Institute. The couple started selling Mac's bread out of Jaime's midwife practice in San Francisco several years ago (hence the bakery's name) and has since drawn a loyal following at farmers markets and cafes throughout the Bay Area.
The McConnells source whole grains from a handful of California farms and mill the flour on site in Mountain View. They make whole wheat, rye, spelt, baguette and other kinds of 100 percent whole-grain bread. Pastries include croissants (regular, chocolate, almond and raisin), danishes and scones.
Fresh croissants at The Midwife and the Baker in Mountain View. Photo by Elena Kadvany.
The croissant took home the "fan" prize in Frenchly's Best Croissant San Francisco competition this year.
They plan to open a more full-fledged retail bakery with coffee and other items at the Independence Avenue space in the next few months.
Locally, the Midwife and the Baker products are also available at the Mountain View Farmers' Market (Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.), Ava's Downtown Market & Deli in Mountain View, Coffeebar in Menlo Park, Blue Bottle Coffee in Palo Alto and Draeger's in Los Altos (only Wednesday through Sunday).
A whole wheat loaf, left, and chocolate croissant from The Midwife and the Baker. Photo by Elena Kadvany.
