Three years after fire, bakery owners rebuild Sugar Toof in new Hercules location
on October 23, 2026
On a sunny autumn Monday, Kate Zecchin worked behind the counter as customers browsed an assortment of ube crinkle cookies, buko pie, banana puddings, cannoli and other delectables behind the glass-enclosed case at Sugar Toof bakery in Hercules. Other customers sat at tables, tapping on keyboards as they sipped coffee and nibbled on doughnuts.
Sugar Toof offers an assortment of Filipino-inspired and Western-style pastries, cakes, cookies, breakfast items and specialty drinks, including strawberry matcha and lattes, reflecting Kate and her husband, Joe’s, blend of culinary influences.
The Zecchins have had to rebuild the business after a fire on Aug. 4, 2023, at 1500 Sycamore Ave. in Hercules, where Sugar Toof Bakery and several other businesses were located, forcing the bakery to close.
In May 2025, Kate and Joe Zecchin reopened at a new location, 1511 Sycamore Ave., Suite M.
“We just want to build something that can last, because we’ve already invested blood and sweat, literally,” Kate Zecchin said.
The couple declined to disclose how much they spent rebuilding, but they said the final cost was far more than they had anticipated.
Business was consistent in 2025, Kate Zecchin said, as the bakery drew new customers and support from the community, but 2026 has been less predictable. “Some days that we anticipate being busy are not”, she said. An increase in catering and company orders has helped during slower periods.
“For this type of business and industry, it is always a roller coaster ride,” Kate Zecchin said.
The 2023 fire damaged the commercial plaza, costing multiple businesses their spaces. Two years later, the city’s economic-development report said the fire-damaged plaza remained vacant, with code-related issues.
Hercules’ commercial landscape was still dealing with significant vacancies in 2025, when the city estimated that about 53,600 square feet of retail space was vacant. This year, has been better, with 25,000 square feet still available, according to Vice Mayor Alexander Walker-Griffin. He said the Hercules has encouraged business owners, including the Zecchins, to open storefronts by awarding them up to $25,000 through the Business Attraction Grant program.
Walker-Griffin said Sugar Toof is particularly important to Hercules because of its owners’ local ties and the bakery’s blend of Filipino, Italian and other culinary influences, which reflect the city’s diverse population.
“It’s that taste of familiarity. It’s that taste of your childhood,” he said.
Joe Zecchin grew up in Hercules and knew he wanted to keep the business there.
The opportunity to open a bakery came when Kate Zecchin’s stepfather, who owned Sunflower Bakery in Hercules, asked the couple to take over during the pandemic. They eventually rebranded the 40-year old business as Sugar Toof.
For returning customers like Nick Barabo and Sofia Saiden, Sugar Toof’s appeal lies in its blend of Filipino and Western flavors, variety of pastries and welcoming atmosphere. Barabo, who visited the bakery at its former location before the fire, said he enjoys its cultural fusion.
“Their bakery stuff, they’re very delectable,” he said.
Saiden, whose favorites include strawberry matcha and banana pudding, said the bakery stands out for its Filipino-inspired desserts, with staff sometimes remembering her usual order.
For Kate and Joe Zecchin, food is also a way of carrying their cultures forward. This is something they hope will become part of the legacy they leave for their 3-year-old son.
“I believe in Hercules, this will never be a franchise, this will be its own store,” Joe Zecchin said. “We won’t ever put this store somewhere else.”
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