Pushkin’s brings its gluten-free sweets to a third, bigger bakery. Here’s where
One of Sacramento’s most popular bakeries has opened a third location, and you still won’t be able to find a single item with gluten on its menu.
Pushkin’s opened its newest bakery — at 2920 Arden Way, Suite A — at the end of May. Co-owner Danny Turner said his regular customers who live near Arden Arcade are relieved they no longer have to trek to Roseville or midtown for a gluten- and dairy-free treat.
“We’ve always wanted to (have a Pushkin’s location) in the Arden Arcade area, we’ve been watching it for a long time,” Turner said.
He and his wife, Olga, launched Pushkin’s in 2013 after finding success in the capital region selling their homemade gluten-free chocolate chip cookies while attending UC Davis and Sacramento State. Today, Olga’s favorite chocolate chip cookies are still at the core of the business as one of the few items that remain consistent on a daily rotating pastry menu.
On Monday, the Arden Arcade location had a wide selection of pastries, cookies and other sweets, including a chocolate-salted pear scone, Neapolitan vanilla cupcakes, blueberry cinnamon coffee cake and Turner’s favorite marble pound cake.
The pair’s choice to keep wheat and other gluten ingredients out of their bakery was natural — Turner himself does not eat gluten or dairy.
Pushkin’s bakeries are not certified gluten-free, Turner said, because he believes the certification is unnecessary given his own strict protocols. He prohibits outside food from entering the bakery, and employees must leave the building to eat lunches brought from home. Turner said he has never had gluten enter the kitchen and trusts the rigor of his safeguards over an outside stamp of approval.
“Our customers are so loyal and they’re so thankful that they can come to a place like us,” he said.
The new outpost is the largest of the three Pushkin’s locations, which Turner took as an opportunity to maximize production efficiency. He spent a year meticulously developing the layout of the bakery’s kitchen and preparation areas, including custom-ordering a sink that was large enough to fit commercial-sized baking sheets but still fit in the available space.
The main preparation room is strategically located adjacent to the walk-in freezer, which includes large bins of pre-mixed and portioned cookies prepared at the bakery’s central production facility.
A large storage room with empty multicolored trash bins scattered around bare pallet shelves is a shocking contrast to the highly precise kitchen areas, which Turner designed to optimize workflow and avoid employees having to work on top of each other.
According to Turner, the storage space is in the process of being converted to an in-house flour mixing facility, which will supply the three bakeries with the gluten-free flour blend used in all baked items.
A variety of gluten-free flours, stored in the color-coded bins according to the base ingredient, will be sifted and bagged by industrial mixers, then shipped to Pushkin’s production facility. Turner said he hopes having a dedicated mixing production process will also allow him to sell his flour directly to customers.
Although keeping gluten out of Pushkin’s is a main tenet of the business, Turner wants to serve the whole community while dispelling the myth that gluten-free bakes are not as good as traditional wheat-based foods.
“Our signs outside don’t say ‘Pushkin’s Gluten-Free Bakery,’ it’s just ‘Pushkin’s Bakery,’” he said. “People are surprised (that the bakery is gluten-free). Really, our ultimate goal is just to appeal to everyone.”
What I’m Eating
After a long — probably stressful — shopping excursion at the West Sacramento IKEA, you could grab a tray of gravy-slathered Swedish meatballs and lingonberry jam, or you could go down the block for Indo-Chinese food at Manchurian Indian & Nepalese Cuisine.
While the menu is heavy with classic dishes you would find at most Indian restaurants, Nepalese momo potstickers ($10.99-$14.99) and Indian-Chinese hakka noodles ($12.99-$13.99) give a small sample of what Indo-Chinese and Himalayan cuisines have to offer.
Don’t get too full on starters like paneer pakora ($10.99), which could honestly be a meal on its own. Garbanzo batter-fried blocks of paneer cheese are hardy and firm without veering toward a rubbery texture, and the accompanying green chutney adds freshness from coriander and mint.
Slow-cooked goat korma ($16.99) features wonderfully tender meat braised in a creamy spiced cashew sauce. As with just about every curry, it pairs naturally with fresh rice and naan.
Although the mango lassi ($3.99) is refreshing, the yogurt-based drink could be a bit too heavy to wash down a full meal. A spiced chai ($1.99) might leave room for seconds.
Manchurian Indian & Nepalese Cuisine
Address: 767 IKEA Court, Suite 100, West Sacramento
Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily
Phone: 916-572-0142
Website: ordermanchurian.com
Drinks: Soft drinks, teas, specialty mango lassi
Vegetarian options: Plenty. Multiple vegetarian-only sections run throughout the menu.
Noise level: Quiet, with music playing over speakers
Outdoor seating: None
Openings & Closings
▪ A new steakhouse opened Monday near the Westville Galleria in Roseville. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar launched its first Sacramento-area restaurant at 1101 Galleria Blvd., with a Northern California native slated to take the helm of the kitchen.
▪ Gami Burger, previously a viral pop-up by Scott Ostrander and Paul DiPierro of Origami Asian Grill, opened its brick-and-mortar shop in Carmichael. The burger restaurant launched over the weekend at the former location of Willie’s Burgers, at 5050 Arden Way.
▪ Public House Downtown shut down Monday after 13 years in Sacramento. The 1132 16th St. restaurant was in the same building as the recently closed Station 16. In a statement, Public House owner MAC Hospitality Group said the space would be reimagined into Casa Lola, a traditional Mexican concept.
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