Early each Friday and Saturday morning in summer, Lana Mcintire rolls a cute-as-a-button, Barbie-pink cart in front of her Bodega Bay home and plants signs along Highway 1, pointing beachgoers and coastal cruisers to her summertime-only sweet stop. “I feel like people see pink and think dessert,” says Mcintire.
The mom of two launched her Nom Nom Cakes bakery cart last summer to supplement her year-round custom cake business. It was an instant success. It also happens to be Bodega Bay’s only bakery.
Laden with cookies, tarts, and Mcintire’s signature cake jars, the sweet car is just a short detour into a residential neighborhood a few minutes’ drive north of town. The clientele is a mix of neighbors, day-trippers and tourists staying in nearby vacation rentals, who pull up, browse the shelves, and peek into the cart’s two refrigerated coolers in search of the perfect dessert.
The Nom Nom cart operates on a self-serve, honor-based payment system, accepting cash or Venmo. Since cell service in the area can be spotty, Mcintire posts her Wi-Fi password to help customers pay online. She is usually nearby in her home — happily baking, and ready to bring in sweet reinforcements when supplies run low. Mcintire notes that the cart often sells out on busy holiday weekends.
Mcintire, a Los Angeles culinary school graduate with experience in high-end restaurants in L.A. and Las Vegas, moved to Sonoma County in 2014. Here she draws inspiration from seasonal fruits and rotates her cart menu each weekend. Her summer cake jars feature flavors like brown sugar peach, vanilla blackberry, and strawberry crunch. “I make my own strawberry crunch with Golden Oreos and freeze-dried strawberries,” she says. “It’s like that strawberry ice cream bar on a stick.”
That dessert is one of her most popular along with peanut butter cheesecake and a treat called the millionaire bar — a buttery shortbread crust layered with rich salted caramel, chocolate ganache, and a light sprinkling of sea salt. “It’s almost Twix on steroids,” says Mcintire.
This summer, Mcintire has added charcuterie boxes as a savory option, perfect for a beach picnic. Packages of homemade pancake mix are another new addition, tailored for travelers staying in the many Airbnbs in her neighborhood. Those temporary guests inspire some of the little extras she includes on the cart, like gift bags, candles and cake toppers — an instant party for those celebrating a special occasion. There are also s’mores kits and reusable marshmallow roasting sticks. As of June, the cart carries copies of her new, self-published cookbook, “Sweet Creations: Crafting Your Dream Desserts.”
Mcintire has become a bit of a celebrity in her seaside town. On a trip to the post office just before opening for the season, three different people recognized her as “the dessert cart lady” and shared stories about their favorite treats. “To have three people at the same time recognize me, I was like, wow,” she says. “I’m thankful that people support my small business and the good things we’re trying to do.”
Nom Nom Cakes, 390 Calle Del Sol, Bodega Bay, 805-350-0680, nomnombaking.com