Coffee & Treats in Live Oak

Since 1975, Polar Bear Ice Cream's handcrafted their gourmet ice creams in 5-gallon batches. In 2006, the new owners improved upon their ice cream recipe by using as many natural and local ingredients as possible. An inventive roster of over 100 flavors of ice creams, dairy free sorbets, and yogurts is highlighted by varieties such as chocolate brownie batter and toasted almond, all piled up inside hand-made waffle cones, made-to-order specialty cakes, and dairy-free sorbet freezes. Polar Bear’s paws span the entire Santa Cruz landscape, the wholesome treats also available at numerous restaurants and shops.

Lisa Brighton baked her first treat—a peach cobbler—when she was just 4 years old. She had some help, of course, from her great-grandmother, Hazel, who taught her which spices to use and which spices to throw over her shoulder. Hazel also handed down several generations of family recipes and a passion for baking that’s been in the family genes for more than 100 years. Lisa puts it to good use at Starz Cupcakes, which she co-owns with her daughter Connie.

Lisa and Connie estimate that they make 220 different kinds of cupcakes, including 17 velvets—a new take on the classic red velvet—in ultra-bright colors such as coral, teal, and purple. They also bake gluten-free cupcakes for customers with gluten allergies, and sugar-free versions for sweets lovers on low-sugar diets. And the tiny cakes are as beautiful as they are delicious; each one is topped with a dollop of frosting and decorative trimmings such as sprinkles, chocolate chips, or coconut flakes.

Though Let 'em Eat Cake formed under the direction of Anne Pickens, the torch has now been passed to her daughter, Sara. Following the teachings of her mother, but adding her own adventurous flair, Sara crafts baked treats that range from gourmet cookies and lemon bars to cupcakes and customized, full-sized cakes. Like an artist paints with a brush or a newborn burps, Sara wields buttercream and fondant with panache, using cake to sculpt 3-D renditions of anything imaginable, including newspapers, bottles of Patron, and Santa hats. Cakes are available in decadent flavors such as carrot, strawberry, and vanilla.

For cupcakes, Sara has assembled an arsenal of more than 30 flavors, including pineapple upside-down cake, maple bacon, and pumpkin spice. Sara also consults for weddings, and crafts cakes for any occasion including graduations, birthdays, baby showers, and prison escapes.

Settled near the gentle, lapping waves of the Half Moon Bay coastline, Half Moon Bay Salt Water Taffy Co. pairs customers with an array of nostalgic beach-harkening treats and accessories. More than 50 varieties of taffy await eager sweet seekers in the shop's collection of charming oak barrels. With classic flavors such as licorice, root beer, peppermint, and peanut butter, the candy curators transport taste buds back to simpler times, and with new flavors such as caramel apple, golden pear, grape, and vanilla latte, the team keeps tongues intrigued. In addition to toothsome morsels, Half Moon Bay Salt Water Taffy Co. stocks colorful kites that patrons can unleash on the beach or nurture until they grow into healthy hang gliders.

Delicate rose floral arrangements and lemon hues surround the country tearoom at SweeTea's, which pairs guests with elegant midday tea breaks replete with fresh homemade treats. Julita, the creator of SweeTea's, adorns the dining area with pieces gathered during her 10 years of collecting teacups, exploring English tearooms, and growing teacup bushes in her backyard. Cream teas, dessert teas, and full afternoon teas sit before sippers in gold-rimmed teacups and saucers, and fresh meals can accompany piping cups. In order to arrange sweet and savory items such as lavender-white-chocolate scones and artichoke Parmesan sandwiches, the chefs at SweeTea's use fresh, in-season ingredients and ancient scone-hunting techniques. Julita can reserve her tearoom for private parties of 16–24 and breakfast meetings, and takes her tea, sandwiches, and desserts on the road to cater gatherings of up to 12.

When couple Jenna Harvey and Ryan Woods graduated from UC Davis, they decided to create their own jobs. "It's not in our character to throw up our hands and say, 'Well, we tried,'" Harvey says as she remembers doggedly planning a 400-square-foot shaved-ice shack with Woods and their friend Steffen Haro. Their dream quickly evolved into a shop nearly three times as large, complete with an espresso bar, a kettle-corn popper, and a drive-up window. Named Pura Vida for the Costa Rican phrase that captivated Harvey during a charitable trip in 2007—"Locals say to them it means 'live pure,' and we like that"—the affable staff douses fluffy curls of ice with sweet fruits, puckery sours, and an array of sugar-free flavors accented with ice cream or marshmallows. Hot and iced coffees, which Pura Vida hopes to someday source directly from Costa Rica, enliven palates in between bites of kettle corn, which Woods pops from whole-grain kernels. As soft music floats through the red-walled storefront, free WiFi ricochets across the hand-built bamboo counter and onto patio tables perched beneath a shady pitched awning.