Global Experience, Local Flavor: Marisa Williams’ Sol Bakery Pop-Up in SF

After leaving Drew, I went to the University of Washington, Seattle to study Textiles and Art History. Upon graduation, I returned to SF to work in design. However, I was constantly baking and eventually I decided to contact some bakeries around the city to see if there were any available internships. I soon found an internship and I loved being in the bakery. It was a bit challenging at first since I didn't have professional training but I stuck with it and I was eager to learn as much as I could. 

 

From there I went on to work in many of the bakeries around the city including Craftsmen and Wolves, Tartine + Neighbor Bakehouse. I then pursued my interest in fine dining and spent some time on the pastry team at Mister Jiu's, working under the very talented Melissa Chou (SF Day alumni) and then went on to be the pastry chef of Sorrel. In 2019 I got an amazing job opportunity in Copenhagen to work on the baking and pastry team of a Danish bakery called Mirabelle. I packed my bags and moved to Copenhagen and this is the time I really took a deep dive into the world of sourdough and viennoiserie (laminated pastries). There are incredible organic wheat farmers in Denmark, and we were super lucky to work with beautiful local grains and flour. The dairy is also amazing. 

 

The following year, I was hired by Frederik Bille Brahe to open Sofi Bakery in Berlin. This was a dream come true experience. I solely developed all the recipes for the bakery and hired and trained a fun international baking team. We opened the bakery in December of 2020 and we had a line out the door from day 1. Berlin was still in lockdown at the time but bakeries were able to remain open, so Sofi became not only a bakery but a gathering place for the neighborhood and community. If you're ever in Berlin, I highly recommend visiting Sofi. It has a California meets Denmark vibe. It's located in a historic courtyard in Mitte, the downtown area of Berlin. 

 

After some time in Europe, I was missing my family and San Francisco and I decided to return home last year. It was time to focus my energies on my own project and I started my pop up, Sol last November. Sol showcases many of my favorite pastries and the menu is seasonal and thus, often changing. Some current favorites are the passion fruit tart, the brioche cardamom bun and the castelvetrano focaccia. I have always been in love with the arts and ever since I attended many of the art classes at Drew I see that side of me is often expressed through my baking and pastry work. I still cherish the printmaking days in Mission with Ali Blum.

 

— Marisa Williams ‘03