Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Carter.
Hi Brooke, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story starts when I was a kid, sitting on the kitchen counter helping my mom press a crosshatch fork pattern into peanut butter cookies. I’ve always loved baking and gathering over food with family. It has been a reason to connect over the years and eventually it turned into a love all its own. My Italian grandmother poured her love of food into me from the beginning, and I helped her over the years with various holiday baking. Then one lovely day, the responsibility of bringing dessert to every occasion was officially passed down to me. I had looked into culinary school when I was 18, but opted to work my way up instead. I started as a baker, then worked as a pastry chef, did some catering and worked in a variety of kitchen environments. I left that world to start my own venture, The Rosemary Bakery.
Our first year of markets was amazing, but I was still craving something more. So I hopped on a plane to Paris, France, and staged at a small boulangerie in Normandie. We made bread in wooden troughs just as bakers had historically, and we never measured ingredients or temped anything. Instead I learned a very old-world way of baking. As poetic as it is, I learned how the dough was meant to feel in my hands. It changed my life, both as a business owner and as a person. I had a similar experience in a small village outside of Nürnberg, Germany. Over the years I’ve traveled in the winter, staging in bakeries and meeting fellow small business owners, and gaining experience alongside inspiration.
Our menu has expanded since that first year of markets, and my love for the craft has never faded. If anything it has grown and become this wild joy in my life. I feel lucky to have chosen this path…to have met so many talented bakers and honed my skills. Truthfully, that little girl pressing a fork into peanut butter cookies never saw it coming. But you know, I think she’d be real proud.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride. I’ve failed more times than I can count, truly, but I’ve learned that failure is never the end of the story. My dad has a saying that I’ve carried into both my life and the bakery: “It’s not the failure, it’s the recovery.” I try to instill that in my team often because mistakes are inevitable in this line of work. You’re going to burn pastries, trays will be dropped, fillings won’t come out right, things might take longer than planned-that’s just the nature of it.
What really matters at the end of the day is how we respond to those things and how we choose to move forward. I can confidently say that I (and we as a team) are better for it. I mean, bumps in the road teach us and have value just like anything else in life really.
So, a smooth ride? Definitely not, but an adventure that has grown us in various ways? Absolutely.
We’ve been impressed with The Rosemary Bakery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Rosemary Bakery is a small local bakery that sells at the farmers market in McKinney, Texas. We specialize in viennoiserie and proper sourdough bread. We have a heavy influence from travel all across Europe, and often bring back different pastries and bread that have inspired us. Our commitment to quality over quantity sets us apart, as does our dedication to honoring old world methods we learned along the way. I’m not sure I would say I am most proud, but rather that I am lucky for our brand to be an extension of who I am. The bakery is very much me, it is quite literally an extension of my travels, my experiences, and my stories. I think one of my most favorite things is that every pastry and loaf of bread is just that-a story. And our customers get to take that and make memories of their own. It’s a reason to gather, a reason to share, or even simply just a reason to reminisce. I’d love for anyone reading this to know that we care about every single item from start to finish. We take great pride in our product as well as connecting with our customers. It’s not just our bakery and then you, it’s us. We’re a community and I’m constantly over the dang moon to have such amazing folks waiting in line for our goods. We look forward to you joining the flour fam!
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice for looking for a mentor, whether local or across the pond, is to just reach out and ask the question. In the bakery world that very much is asking to stage. You won’t always get a yes, but you’ll never know unless you ask. It has obviously worked for me as that’s how I’ve been able to hop in different bakeries across the EU/UK. Reach out to as many as you can, and you’ll find a lot of opportunity along the way! It may not look like how you imagined it, but that’s part of the journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.therosemarybakery.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/therosemarybakery
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/therosemarybakery
