Some 3,000 to 5,000 shoppers stroll past about 45 vendors every Saturday, enjoying the fresh produce, tasty concoctions and foot-tapping live music by local musicians.

"The association is a lot stricter about controlling the ratio between agricultural vendors and the non-ag vendors than other market groups are," says Yoshikawa, referring to the California Farmers Markets Association, which operates eight markets in the Bay Area. "It was tough [as a non-ag vendor] to get in, but I kept bugging them," she laughs. A Saratoga resident for 20 years and now a Los Gatan, she told them, "You know, I'm community. I used to pick prunes on this land."

Indeed she did. She was born in San Jose, and her father, Mas Najima, grew fruits and berries locally and eventually ran a nursery in Cupertino where homeowners buying into Saratoga developments came to obtain stock for their new gardens. Yoshikawa grew up with the strong farming influence, appreciating the land for what it could produce and wanting to use it well.

At 12, she started baking berry pies with her father's produce. The love of baking carried into adulthood, serving as "therapy" when sleepless nights during her years as a software engineer found her arising at 1 a.m. to bake a batch. Eventually, the Silicon Valley technology bust became the opportunity to do what she really loves: baking while remaining faithful to what is natural.

"My baked goods are not fancy," she says, ticking off a list including homemade scones, coffeecake, rolls and cookies. "But they're all natural." She uses 100 percent cream in her sour cream and whipping cream, avoiding anything with preservatives. "I buy from local farmers who don't spray, and I use organic fruits wherever I can." As a result, the shelf life of her goods is short.

At Saratoga's Gene's Fine Foods, her key lime pie and cream pies made with banana, lemon and strawberry—a new fruit—are in the refrigerated section of the deli. Her cinnamon rolls—another new item—are displayed in the bakery section. She is constantly rotating items to maintain freshness. Several local cafes open each day with the bakery items she pulled from an oven just a few hours before.

Currently, she bakes out of Margaret's Kitchen in Campbell. She shares space with three other bakers, including the kitchen's owner, Margaret Novak, who closed her Marjolaine's Bakery in Saratoga about four years ago. Novak now wholesales cakes and puts on cooking demonstrations.

"I'm not a cake baker," Yoshikawa clarifies, "but I do great pecan and lemon bars ($1.75 for 3-inch squares) and chocolate chip, peanut butter and oatmeal raisin cookies ($1 each). At the Farmer's Market, I do some nice brownies and Rice Krispie treats for the kids."

Yoshikawa's day starts in the morning with deliveries to her customers and the purchase of supplies. "About 5 p.m. until midnight on weekdays and until 2 a.m. the morning of the Farmer's Market, I bake." The slower economy of late has provided invaluable time for experimenting, she says.

One problem she is trying to solve is how to get a clear glaze for her strawberry pie. Normally, chemicals would clarify the glaze, but Yoshikawa's natural juices produce a cloudy effect and also tend to make the crust soggy.

"It still tastes great, but it's not what people are used to seeing." The challenge excites her, and the whole atmosphere of the market is rejuvenating. "I'm back to my roots, associating with farmers who believe in what they're doing," she concludes.

Bon Bon's Bakery is located at the Saratoga Farmer's Market in the Saratoga High School parking lot every Saturday 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. For information about Bon Bon's, call 408.391.3901.