“This month has been heavily nostalgic for me as I mark 10 years of official business selling bread under the moniker As Kneaded Bakery. As I sit here sipping a latte on a quiet morning in our new café, I am filled with a feeling of deep satisfaction, pondering all I've been through this past decade.”

“As Kneaded isn’t the only cafe in the Bay Area that’s located inside a public library, but it might be the one that’s most enticing to food enthusiasts, given its connection to a bona fide artisan breadmaker.”

Berkowitz was on one of her regular library visits with her children a year ago when she saw the vacant space at the entrance. “I felt a lot of potential in it,” she said. “I knew it could become something awesome.”

"Berkowitz described the expansion as a wonderful opportunity to extend the person-to-person service and hospitality that As Kneaded Bakery is known for. “Now people can come to the library and enter my side door before the library opens,” she said. “They can sit down, have a lavender latte, get a fresh-baked croissant from the bakery or they can come for lunch and have quiche and a salad, or one of our Parisian sandwiches.””

Iliana Berkowitz, owner of As Kneaded Bakery, discussed the anticipated impact tariffs will have on costs for her customers.

San Leandro's As Kneaded Bakery faces pressure from Trump's new tariffs on imported goods. Owner Iliana Berkowitz relies on Canadian maple syrup and Mexican produce, expressing concern about price increases while still recovering from COVID-19's impact. She worries about passing costs to customers amid the Bay Area's already high cost of living.

Cited by Eater as "arguably the most serious bread bakery in the East Bay," Berkowitz's As Kneaded emphasizes "Craft. Crust. Culture." The bakery distinguishes itself through hand-crafted techniques and pre-fermentation methods like poolish. Beyond bread, As Kneaded quietly serves hundreds through food pantries and participates in food rescue programs like Too Good to Go.

Featured among America's 100 best bakeries, San Leandro's As Kneaded Bakery earned recognition for reminding the Bay Area "there's always room for one more pro" despite market saturation. Food writer David Landsel highlights Iliana Berkowitz's "perfectly formed, generously shellacked challah" and describes her classic baguette as "a work of everyday beauty."

Featured in a San Leandro day trip guide, As Kneaded Bakery is highlighted as one of the East Bay's "hottest artisan bread spots." Baker-owner Iliana Berkowitz's take-away shop offers sourdough loaves, French baguettes, and challah sold throughout the Bay Area. The guide especially recommends bakery-exclusive treats like sticky buns and the signature honey rye porridge loaf.