Wooden Petal puts the perfect twist on the classic pretzel

SANTA ROSA Calif. -- In an unassuming storefront along Sonoma Highway in Santa Rosa, visitors will discover delicious, doughy snacks at the Wooden Petal Pretzel shop. Proprietress Clare Elaine personally sets her pretzels apart with the perfect twist on the classic snack.

"It didn't take long to figure out what my version of a beautiful pretzel was," Elaine said. "It has the look and that pretzel flavor, but it's usually a lot softer and more buttery and inviting than your classic, street pretzel."

Elaine arrives at the shop every day around 3:30 in the morning to make sure that her customers' favorites are ready to go.

"Most popular is salt, herb butter, cheese. My new breakfast pretzel is a stuffed pretzel with hard-boiled egg, bacon or sausage and cheese. That's the perfect hand-held breakfast," Elaine said.

Although customers always find the classic pretzel flavors, Elaine admits that on most days, she has a secret menu as well.

"If you're a regular of mine, you'll see that I'm often sneaking very strange combinations like today, my strange combination was fig, bacon, brie. So if you do come in, you can kind of ask what I have hiding back here," Elaine said with a smile.

Looking to the future, she is creating new ways and experiences for customers to enjoy her pretzels.

"I am planning to start a beer and pretzel tasting: a reserved, small, intimate lounge tasting here, showcasing all the great things that this area has to offer," Elaine said.

According to Elaine, running Wooden Petal is a lot of hard work, but for her, it's worth it.

"My greatest reward is my community," Elaine said. "Your grandmother was coming here. She can't come here anymore, and you're bringing a box to her. All that kind of community stuff I really like. That means everything to me."

For more information visit Wooden Petal website or follow Elaine on social media at @woodenpetal.