Emily's Good Things To Eat

Picture a basket of homemade cookies with the sign: “25 cents: Please don’t steal the cookies or the money.” What do you do? If you were a UCSC student in the ’80s, you leave the money, take a cookie, and come back for more. This experience is exactly what inspired the cookie master herself, Emily, to open our doors in 1982. Now, we sell a variety of fresh options, including apple cakes, croissants, pies, scones, sandwiches, and quiches, as well as coffee and hand-squeezed lemonade. We’re the kind of place where you can kick back and relax, whether you’re inside chatting with our friendly team or outside on the deck enjoying the view of Laurel Creek. We believe baking is more than just a science. From the cookie-loving students way back when to the wider customer base we serve now, our community has always been our number one motivator. And we love bringing people together with a common love for baked goods!

Established in 1980.
The last thing I ever thought I’d be is a bakery owner. When I went back to school at the University of California, Santa Cruz, I was newly divorced, with two boys and lots of energy! Several times a week I took extra cookies from my homemade batch up to school and left them in a basket with this note: “25 cents; please don’t rip them off or I won’t be able to afford to buy more ingredients.” Nobody ever took the cookies or the money! Soon I included a local cafe among my deliveries. I had no intention of starting a bakery. I had no money, backers or business plan. I worked hard, listened to customers and asked lots of smart people for advice. People liked my products. Word got around and in 1982 I moved into the building where Emily’s is today. I like the challenge of providing jobs and helping myself and others earn a living in an honorable way. I so appreciate my good fortune in being part of a community that appreciates neighborhood businesses. Our customers are the best…

Robert N.
Business Owner
My wife Emily started the bakery in her kitchen while attending UCSC in 1981, we opened in our current location on the first day of spring in 1985.