The Owners

KAREN MITCHELL
Karen Mitchell grew up in Portland, Oregon, where her family was involved in the food business- running the popular Berg Chalet (James Beard was a regular customer) for many years. In the mid-1970’s, after completing her BA at Willamette University and graduate work at UCLA, she moved with her husband, John, to St. Helena – where John had spent many summers as a child.
She started a catering business which was immediately successful and grew rapidly along with the expanding wine industry during that period. Having traveled extensively in Europe, Karen fell in love with the quality and abundance of European breads (mostly in France) and always dreamed of reproducing that quality at home. When, in 1984, the local bakery (then called The Sugar House – but originally called the Model Bakery in the 20’s and 30’s) became available, she jumped at the opportunity to turn it into a real European-style bakery. With all her treasured family recipes for breads and pastries it quickly gathered a local and regional following.
In 2000 her daughter Sarah decided to leave the corporate world and help her run the business in St. Helena. Karen is now working on a cookbook and lives on a family farm where they grow Syrah grapes and produce a small bottling of ‘Four Cairn Vineyard Syrah’ wine. Karen and John have a large organic garden that supplies the bakery with vegetables, fruit, eggs and herbs daily.
SARAH MITCHELL HANSEN
Sarah grew up in St. Helena and after her mother Karen purchased the Model Bakery, she would spend the afternoon doing her homework on the bags of flour while enjoying a freshly baked cookie. The Model Bakery has always been a part of her life. After graduating from UC Santa Cruz and working in the Bay Area tech industry in the early 2000’s, Sarah decided to move back to the Napa Valley to help run the bakery where she grew a large wholesale business, expanded the product line and eventually opened locations at The Oxbow Public Market in Napa, Mini Model in Yountville, and the newest location in downtown Walnut Creek.
Sarah loves cooking and is an avid gardener. Giving back to the community, she dedicates her time to local nonprofits. Sarah served on the Board of Directors at Connolly Ranch for over 10 years and is currently on the Board of CommuniCare+OLE in Napa.