City Council to Honor Iconic Sonoma Bagel Shop

When Stuart Teitelbaum first opened his downtown Sonoma bagel shop in 1978, local residents drove around in big cars they filled with cheap gas. People spoke in person or on what we now call "landlines." Nobody texted.

"It was a different world back then," Teitelbaum said.

But just as change has persistently swept through Napa Street over the years, so has the tantalizing scent of Teitelbaum's freshly baked onion bagels.

On Monday, Teitelbaum's "Homegrown Baking Company" will receive a proclamation from the Sonoma City Council honoring its 35th anniversary.

Teitelbaum's bagel shop is the city's oldest continuously-owned bakery. He described the proclamation is a great honor.

"It's a real milestone," he said. "It's monumental."

Teitelbaum attributes his business' longevity to the popularity of his product.

"We make a great bagel," he said proudly.

Teitelbaum credits baker Tony Pena and manager Angela Wilson - loyal employees who've worked at the bakery for more than 30 years - for making his bagels a Wine Country institution for parts of five decades.

"The community has been behind us," he said. "They keep us going."

Homegrown Baking Company will celebrate its 35th Anniversary on Sept. 1. Teitelbaum will roll back his prices to what they were in 1978 for the day, "when gas was 63 cents a gallon," he said.

Teitelbaum never imagined his business would last this long.

"I was a younger man" back then, he said. "I never even dreamed 35 years ahead back then."

Now he's looking ahead to being honored at City Hall.

The council will also present a proclamation honoring Ledson Hotel's 10th Anniversary at Monday's 6 p.m. meeting at the Community Meeting Room (117 First Street West).

Also on the council's agenda are a presentation on the Sonoma County Food System Alliance Food Action Plan and official recognition of Carole Latorre’s service on the Community Services and Environment Commission.