See Jayne work.

       Since the demise of Nanci and Jimella’s Ark Restaurant a number of years ago, the very best thing that’s happened, eating-wise, at the north end of the Peninsula is Bailey’s Bakery and Café.  It is keeping Nahcotta on the food map for sure.  At seven minutes (going the speed limit) from our door to Bailey’s, it’s the perfect answer to “What’s for lunch?”  And if we have overnight guests and can’t bear to think of getting up at the crack to give them a big breakfast send-off, coffee and scones at Baileys are the perfect answer.
     Proprietor/Chef Jayne Bailey has been a food fixture on the Peninsula for years.  Many of her current customers are folks who went to, or even hosted, her well-remembered cooking classes of the ‘80s and ‘90s.  In the early nineties, too, she had the Back Porch Garden Café in Ocean Park, a seasonal take-out sort of place with al fresco dining in the back.  And somewhat later, she managed Pacific Picnics in Long Beach for six or seven months while the owners were in Alaska.
     We try to nip into Bailey’s just before or just after the noon-hour lunch rush, but no matter when we get there, we feel like we are surrounded by friends – and often we are.  Even in the summer when the tourist crowd gathers, chances are that one of those six-degrees-of-separation things will occur.  It’s that kind of place.
     To top it off, the ambience seems perfect.  First is the space, itself – the north side of the historic Nahcotta post office building.  With its warmly painted beadboard ceiling and walls, self-serve beverages in the fridge and on the coffee bar, and tables and chairs nestled in close proximity, it just feels cozy.  There is always artwork on the walls, sometimes by local artists, sometimes by talented customers from afar.  Right now a number encaustic mixed media pieces by Joan Stuart Ross hang on the north wall and on the south wall are three acrylic-on-paper paintings by Pat Fagerland.
     More of Pat’s work, her block prints, can be found on the wall around the corner – well worth a peek, even if you don’t have to visit the loo.  Pat has been exhibiting her artwork at Bailey’s for more than two years and says sales have been better, generally, than in gallery settings.  “And Jayne is so easy to work with.  I really appreciate her support of artists,” says Pat.
     Oh…did I mention the food?  Fresh baked baguettes and Italian country bread, scones, and Sunday special ‘thunder buns;’ home-made soup-of-the-day; salads and sandwiches built while you wait; cookies, pie and other dessert goodies.  Eat inside or out in front if the weather is willing.  Or get the take-out. Whatever your choice, Jayne accommodates with a smile!