All of those natural ingredients and others go into the type of high-quality artisan breads that Eliades served up with fresh coffee at 5 on a recent Tuesday morning. That's where you will find the star of the entire establishment: a lump of sourdough starter (levain) that Bread Craft owner Alex Eliades lovingly feeds with flour and water daily. The massive, yawning Bongard oven is as impressive to a food lover as the golden loaves of bread that beckon from a stainless-steel rack. One...

Early mornings in Calistoga are cool and quiet, unless the neighbor's dog is barking, or a squirrel scolds the stray cat who nibbles from a pile of free food placed by local guardians of the feline species. About 25 vendors appear weekly, hawking everything from cut flowers and fruits from Winters and Napa to tie-died shirts and (soon) salmon, massages, baked Salvadorean delicacies known as pupusas and even expert handwriting analysis. During the regular school year, however, the students...