Welcome to Della Fattoria Café and Bakery, where the warmth of Petaluma’s community meets the craft of artisan baking. We are renowned for our naturally leavened breads and exquisite pastries. We bake batches each day, following time-honored traditions and using the bounty of our region’s farms, orchards, gardens, and fields.
More than a bakery and café, Della Fattoria has become a gathering place—a destination where neighbors, friends, and visitors alike come together over breakfast, lunch, or a simple cup of coffee. From buttery croissants and rustic morning loaves, to fresh seasonal salads, soups, and handmade desserts, every bite reflects our dedication to authenticity, quality, and hospitality.
Whether you are beginning your day, pausing for a leisurely lunch, or carrying something special home to share, Della Fattoria invites you to savor not just the flavors of Sonoma county, but the spirit of community that rises with every loaf.
Sunrise and the roosters' call at Della Fattoria on the Weber ranch and gardens in Petaluma
At Della Fattoria Café and Bakery, our kitchen celebrates the union of rustic tradition and seasonal bounty, offering dishes that honor both our artisanal breads and the vibrant produce of Sonoma County.
Mornings begin with comforting classics like Ricotta Toast—featuring Bellwether Farms ricotta, sliced bananas, sweet and salty pecans, and honey on toasted semolina—and the Toast Trio, presenting a delightful sampling of avocado, egg salad, and bean toasts. Hearty options such as the Della Scramble, combining sausage, potatoes, crème fraîche, and Parmesan on buttered toast, and the Biscuits and Gravy, with two poached eggs (fresh from the Chef Aaron’s cousin's ranch) and house-made sausage gravy over buttermilk biscuits, provide satisfying starts to the day.
Our lunch offerings include the Chicken Salad Sandwich, with roasted chicken, red onion confit, celery, aioli, toasted almonds, and mixed greens on levain bread, and the Tuna Piadina, a classic tuna melt on pan-fried pizza dough with cheddar cheese, pepperoncini, arugula, and citronette dressing. Salads like the Spring Panzanella, featuring asparagus, pickled fennel, radish, cucumber, Rosemary Meyer Lemon croutons, currants, pine nuts, and Parmesan on mixed greens dressed in citronette, and Stacy's Breakfast Salad, with mixed greens, three poached eggs, avocado, Hobb's Bacon, house salsa, and citronette dressing, showcase our commitment to fresh, local ingredients. Each dish is thoughtfully prepared to highlight the flavors of our region, inviting you to savor the simple pleasures of good food and warm company.
Accompany your meal with one of Della's six flavors of Mimosas, a Della Espresso Martini, Bloody Mary, or choose from an array of coffee, beer, wine, bottles and cans, plus select teas.
Our pastries are handmade daily in small batches, with local eggs, organic Straus butter, and a reverence for the craft. Under the craftsmanship and imagination of Pastry Chef Victoria Madrigal, buttery croissants, crackle beneath tender layers. Rustic tarts and galettes celebrate Sonoma County’s seasonal fruit, while our scones and biscuits invite lingering moments over Della blend coffee roasted specifically for us by Petaluma Coffee & Tea.
And the cookies--oh, my, the cookies! The chocolate chip cookie was judged the best in Sonoma County in 2025. Our pastries are made in small batches, early in the morning, by bakers who know that the first bite of a well-made pastry can transform your whole day. Whether you're sipping a cappuccino on a foggy Petaluma morning or selecting something sweet to take home, our array of pastries invites you to linger, to savor, to celebrate the day.
On request, our beautiful cakes may be crafted for any occasion. Just send us a note using the Pastry/Cake Inquiry button above.
At Della Fattoria Bakery and Café, bread is our origin story and our daily devotion. Each naturally leavened (sourdough) loaf is made with organic flours and long fermentations. Each loaf we make undergoes a slow, cold fermentation that develops flavor, strength, and nuance over time. Our breads emerge from the oven with caramelized crusts and the unmistakable depth that only time and patience can create.
At Della Fattoria , bread is not simply baked—it’s nurtured, slowly and attentively, using classic (and some ancient) methods, natural fermentation, and locally sourced flour. Each loaf begins with a wild starter and a commitment to Kathleen Weber’s time-honored process of long, cold fermentation. From our iconic Pain de Campagne to olive-studded loaves and golden Semolina and our signature Rosemary Meyer Lemon, every crust tells a story of hearth and heritage. Our bread anchors a meal, celebrates the land, and keeps our community fed in spirit as much as in body.
In the Della dining room, the wonderful aroma of floral arrangements by Tom Trillium mingle with those of freshly baked breads and pastries. Floral arrangements—from a sweet bouquet to dinner party centerpieces or a formal arrangement for an entry hall—Tom Trillium's legendary imagination results in stunning, one of a kind arrangements.
It has always been the dream of Co-owner Elisa Weber to have a flower shop within Della's walls and Tom has helped her make that dream come true. The two of them fashion bouquets like performance art in the main dining room of the cafe. We also have a handful of volunteers that come in to help, Sue, Penny & Tara. These gals also bring in blooms from their own properties. Elisa loves to forage on the side of the road and keeps 3 different lengths of clippers in her truck. The process starts on Thursdays when Elisa shops the Marin farmer's market and brings back buckets of fresh, field grown flowers from farms such as Cypress Flower Farm in Moss Beach, Full Belly Farm in Capay Valley, Front Porch Farm in Healdsburg and various others. We source our roses from Neve Bros, a family of growers on Bodega Avenue in Petaluma. In the summer we grow flowers in the Weber Ranch—Della Fattoria gardens. We take great care and pride in curating our floral creations and we expect they should last at least a week when properly cared for by the customer.
In the Della dining room, the wonderful aroma of floral arrangements by Tom Trillium mingle with those of freshly baked breads and pastries. Floral arrangements—from a sweet bouquet to dinner party centerpieces or a formal arrangement for an entry hall—Tom Trillium's legendary imagination results in stunning, one of a kind arrangements.ment
Our Story
Della Fattoria, nestled in the heart of Petaluma, California, stands as a testament to the passion and dedication of its founders, Kathleen and Ed Weber. From humble beginnings, the Webers transformed a personal passion for bread into a nationally acclaimed bakery and café, leaving an indelible mark on California's culinary landscape and beyond.
Kathleen Weber's journey into bread baking began in the early 1990s on her husband’s family ranch in Petaluma. Inspired by Carol Field's The Italian Baker, she immersed herself in the art of bread-making, experimenting with natural starters and traditional techniques. For her 50th birthday, her family collaborated with renowned oven builder Alan Scott to construct a small wood-fired oven on their ranch, setting the stage for what would become Della Fattoria.
After a few years, the original oven was supplanted by two large wood burning ovens, also designed by Alan Scott. Richard Hart, in his award-winning bread book recalls his first encounter with the ovens: "I got my start as a baker at Della Fattoria...It was a great place to learn the craft. You walked into a wooden barn with two roaring wood-fired ovens and immediate felt the intense power of those beasts. It was an exciting place, a high-volume operation. Having been a chef, I fed off adrenaline, and Della Fattoria was a non-stop adrenaline rush. It was constant, from the moment I got there to the moment I finished." The retained temperatures of the oven's bricks set the tempo of every minute of the bake day as they gradually cooled and bake times got longer and longer.
Starting with just 14 weekly customers, Kathleen's breads quickly garnered attention for their quality and authenticity. A pivotal moment came when she introduced her bread to Thomas Keller, Chef of the acclaimed French Laundry in Yountville, California. Impressed by her creations, Keller became one of her first clients, propelling Della Fattoria into the spotlight and leading to collaborations with other top-tier restaurants. She continued to collaborate with Keller developing breads until, eight years later, he opened Bouchon Bakery.
In 2003, the Webers expanded their venture by opening the Della Fattoria Café and Bakery in downtown Petaluma. The café, managed today by their daughter Elisa, has become a community hub, known for its rustic charm and commitment to locally sourced ingredients. Their son, Aaron, who had spent years beside his mother in the bakehouse as the lead baker, brought his culinary expertise to the café's kitchen, further enhancing its offerings.
Della Fattoria's dedication to artisanal bread-making did not go unnoticed. In 2004, Martha Stewart filmed a segment for her television show in which she joined Aaron in the baking process on the Weber ranch. In 2010, Bon Appétit named Della Fattoria one of "America’s 10 Best Bread Bakeries." Kathleen's bread baking book, Della Fattoria Bread, was a finalist in the 2015 James Beard Foundation Book Awards, further cementing her reputation as a leading figure in the bread-baking world.
Kathleen's impact extended beyond the bakery. Kathleen mentored numerous aspiring bakers, including Issac and Linda Cermak of Redbird Bakery in Cotati and Sebastopol as well as Richard Hart with bakeries in Copenhagen and Mexico City, who credits Kathleen with influencing his approach to artisan bread and intuitive baking. Richard’s book, Richard Hart Bread won the 2025 James Beard Foundation Book Award. Kathleen passed away in January 2020 at the age of 75, leaving behind a legacy of culinary excellence and community engagement. Known affectionately as the "community caretaker and bread mother," she was celebrated for her generosity, mentorship, and unwavering commitment to quality.
Today, Della Fattoria continues to thrive under the stewardship of the Weber family, honoring Kathleen's vision and passion. Kathleen’s emphasis on natural fermentation and depth of flavor continues to resonate with many in the bread baking community. The bakery and café remain integral parts of Petaluma's vibrant culinary scene, a destination serving as an enduring symbol of artisanal craftsmanship and community spirit.