The Sunshine in Pescadero Serves Up Grab-and-Go Goodness
For both coastal day-trippers and local country folk, the forecast for Stage Road, Pescadero’s main drag, always calls for the same thing: stops for lots of The Sunshine, the inspired grab-and-go pantry and health food shop for nibbles, treats and sips. Along with its adjoining coffee shop, Downtown Local, The Sunshine’s inspired and nutritious fare—sea kelp noodle ramen, anyone?—and cheerful colors reflect the vibrancy of its locally sourced produce and products.
You know you’ve arrived when you spot the yellow rays painted on the rough-hewn wood-paneled exterior—bringing to mind the sun’s role in warming farm soil, nurturing food and life. Inside, the cheerful bright market and walk-up counter are adorned with nutritious “eye candy” including floor-level baskets of citrus and other products, as a cascading mobile of flitting colored paper butterflies hangs overhead.
“I really longed for a space I could walk into and be uplifted and feel good,” says Nicole Sillapere, The Sunshine’s co-founder and creative director. “Here, you can taste what deep nutrition actually tastes like and see that it can be beautiful and delicious. We’re creating access and opening people’s minds. And doing it in a way that’s not too difficult, and showing how we can package it in a way that doesn’t destroy the Earth.”
Before opening this little pot of goodness at the end of a rainbow, Nicole had been an event designer, a position that often left her feeling isolated and cooking alone, making mindful meals that call for in-season produce and natural preservative techniques such as fermentation, drying and salting. By mid-2019, she had had enough.
“The way to health,” she says, “is by being happy and healthy in your heart.” She opened The Sunshine to let her healthy and happy heart shine for the rest of us.
As a result, the store is a one-stop-shop for locally made healthy food curated from micro-farms and artisans. Shop staples include fermented salsa by Wise Goat Organics, wild California seaweed harvested by Seaquoia Seaweeds, Ladybug Farm dried organic beans and Corvus Farm duck eggs. The Sunshine is also the exclusive consumer-facing retailer for LeftCoast GrassFed meats. And the farmers aren’t just sourcing the food for The Sunshine, but enjoying the food. “The farmers really want to eat well,” says Nicole, “but they live in a small town and may not have access to their own vegetables and their meats artfully blended or crafted into food for them. It’s been neat to see the farmers come in and get to enjoy their own food.”
The farmers aren’t the only ones coming in; so are the home cooks and edible gardeners. Recently, The Sunshine refreshed and refocused their buying to make sure they made available nutrient-packed local ingredients for home-cooked meals. By selling mushroom, herb, kale and chard plant starts, they made it easy to grow and mix in some kitchen garden goodness too.
As you might imagine, the shop’s selection of comfort-providing items have seen high demand, but the walk-up counter and friendly lineup is worth the wait. Feeling rushed? Steadfast Herbs’ Stress and Anxiety Support Tincture and antioxidant- and magnesium-rich chocolate bars go quickly! Or cool down with plant-based maple-sweetened soft-serve ice cream. Refreshment with benefits, and a little sunshine to go. Ahhhh!
