Editor's Note: Portions of this story originally appeared in The Enterprise's June 16, 2022 edition. The Enterprise is owned by the North Coast Journal, Inc..
In March of 2021, Patches’ Pastries sprung up as an independent bakery operating out of Arcata’s Northtown Coffee. A year later, the trans-owned business is celebrating the opening of its own eatery at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds, where 23-year-old owner and sole employee Patch Fraga is serving
click to flip through (2) Photo by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill The Egghead PB&J, pork belly, egg and onion jam on a biscuit. The canopies over the patio at Northtown Coffee flutter above a half dozen people having a late Monday breakfast. Sunshine slants onto picnic tables where diners in beanies and sunglasses hunker over to-go cups, blueberry crumble bars and biscuit and egg sandwiches wrapped in checkered paper. Inside, a red and yellow menu board hangs emblazoned with the Egghead menu a handful of grab-and-go sandwiches with eggs, pork belly, greens, some with maple butter and its logo, a cracked egg with glasses, drooling a little yolk. Beside the pair of glass cake stands packed with coffee cake and the covered tray of cookies is a stack of cards for Patches Pastries. But this is still Northtown Coffee, right?