SAN RAMON, CALIFORNIA – San Ramon residents no longer have to travel to downtown Oakland to try the desserts from one of the East Bay’s best-known hidden bakeries.
Gregory’s Gourmet Desserts opened its new San Ramon location on Tuesday, July 21, at 2410 San Ramon Valley Boulevard.
The shop is the second location for the longtime Oakland bakery, which has developed a devoted following for its cheesecakes, fruit cobblers, cookies and homestyle pies.
Gregory’s is frequently called Oakland’s “underground bakery” — and the nickname is fairly literal.
Its original shop is tucked into a tiny basement-level space at 285 23rd Street in Uptown Oakland. The storefront is so small that only a few customers can enter at a time, helping turn the bakery into one of the city’s most beloved culinary secrets.
From a Missing Cheesecake to an Oakland Institution
Founder Gregory Williams reportedly began baking after his favorite apple streusel cheesecake disappeared from the menu at the former La Petite Boulangerie bakery chain.
Williams, who had no professional baking experience at the time, used a cookbook and a springform pan to recreate the dessert himself. Friends and acquaintances began asking to buy his cakes, and what started as a personal experiment gradually became a business.
The company was originally called Color Me Plump Cheesecakes before becoming Gregory’s Gourmet Desserts.
Williams eventually began baking in vacant apartment kitchens while working as an apartment manager. One early hotel order called for 26 cheesecakes, requiring him to move between several kitchens to complete the job. The hotel reportedly liked the cakes enough to order another 26 the following day.
In 1999, Williams moved the business into the basement bakery in Oakland that would become its longtime home.
The business initially focused on wholesale orders for hotels and restaurants. Customers began discovering the bakery after smelling desserts baking from the street, and Williams gradually expanded public pickup hours.
Cheesecakes, Cobblers and Sweet Potato Pie
Gregory’s is particularly known for its wide range of cheesecake flavors, including the apple streusel cheesecake that inspired the business.
Other featured items have included blackberry cobbler cheesecake, key lime pie, peach cobbler, blackberry cobbler, chocolate chip cookies and sweet potato pie.
The bakery’s desserts are known for their rich, old-fashioned style rather than elaborate presentation. That approach has helped Gregory’s build a loyal following over more than 25 years in Oakland.
The San Ramon opening represents a major expansion for a business that spent decades operating from one of the smallest and least visible bakery spaces in the East Bay.
The company had been teasing the second location since at least 2025, although the project took longer than originally anticipated to reach opening day.
Gregory’s Gourmet Desserts is located at 2410 San Ramon Valley Boulevard in San Ramon. Customers should check directly with the bakery for current San Ramon hours and product availability, since the company’s published hours may still reflect its original Oakland location.
We’ll be sure to stop in and try it out! Make sure to join our free 925 News newsletter so we can share a review.
