Right off Highway 50 on Cambridge Road, Farmer’s Delicatessen and Bakery serves up European specialties—Greek, Hungarian, Italian and Romanian fare to be exact. While the gyros and bakery items are ready to consume on site, much of the menu, including roasted red pepper hummus, puttanesca sauce and ragu Bolognese, is kept frozen in a display case for take-out, letting you fake mad gourmet skills at home. I ordered a gorgeous round of Rosemary Focaccia that was rife with all the right juxtapositions. Its olive-oiliness was slightly sweet, but there was also the perfect amount of salt; the outside was crisp with barely charred wisps of rosemary, while the thick middle was fluffy and soft. The cashier told me you can do anything with it (he uses it to make seriously upgraded BLTs), but I was happy to eat it on its own. I chose an IZZE from their large array of, thankfully, non-soda options and was sent off with a bite of crisp apple strudel (my choice from the rotating board of samples). Full disclosure: This bread made my day, and while eating it eastbound was a near dangerous distraction, it truly deserves a picnic setting. More vinetta anyone? Farmer’s Delicatessen and Bakery, 3952 Cambridge Road, Cameron Park. 530-672-6800.

By Dayana Stockdale. Photo by Dante Fontana.