melissa mcgaughey (Yanc)

Melissa began baking at seven years old with her grandmother. That interest grew with her through graduating pastry school, working in the best restaurants in Denver, to opening her first bakery in Denver at age 23 and finally moving across the country twice to direct large pastry programs on the East and West Coasts for some of the leading names in the baking industry: Bien Cuit (New York) and Gjusta (Los Angeles). Since moving to Northern California, she has worked at SingleThread as the hotel baker and had baked bread for multiple farmers markets, hotels and wineries. During pandemic she and Sean began a “Porch Pick Up” from their home in Healdsburg, driving community gathering in a safe system. Their popularity created giant lines snaking through the Healdsburg Farmers market in 2019. In 2020, the couple bootstrapped the now Quail & Condor retail bakery located at 149 Healdsburg Avenue, where they focus on both the guest and employee experience. Educating both the guest and team on high-level technique, sustainable sourcing & production, and philanthropic projects.

Sean McGaughey

Sean's career has run the gamut, having managed a 3-Michelin Star kitchen with some fun stops along the way. From culinary director of an award winning cookbook, to restaurants, to recipe development, food is always the focus for this factotum. There is no better place for ingredients than Northern California, and Sean loves to embrace that. Locally, Sean has worked mainly as executive sous chef at SingleThread for 5+ years, until moving onto the Quail and Condor project with Melissa, and spearheading the Friday pop-ups held at the bakery in Summer 2021. After proving Sean’s food had created a demand, the couple opened Troubadour Bread & Bistro in 2022 with business partner & maître d’ Tiffany Spurgeon. The bistro operates as a boulangerie in the morning, sandwiches at noon and an intimate French-Californian style prix fixe menu paired with unique local & globally imported wines. In 2023, Sean has become the culinary director and Melissa the Executive Pastry Chef for Molti Amici with Tiffany’s husband Jonny Barr.

Honor & Recognition

Michelin Guide 2023 Troubadour Bread & Bistro

North Bay Business Journal Forty Under 40

SF Chronicle Top Bakeries of the Bay Area

SF Chronicle Top Sourdough in the Bay Area

Sonoma Magazine 20 Favorite Bakeries in Sonoma County

Sonoma County Gazette Quail & Condor and more honored with 2021 Snail of Approval awards

Eater SF A Cozy Wine Country Enclave Welcomes a New Italian Restaurant From a Trio of SingleThread Alums

SF Chronicle Molti Amici to open in Healdsburg

Sonoma Magazine SingleThread Alums Open Hotly Anticipated New Restaurant in Healdsburg

Images by Emma K. Morris