Our Fearless Leader
Thank you for reading!
I’ve always loved to feed people. Before I learned to cook, I would find that dish whether it was from the Italian bistro in Louisville, KY, the gas station with the best fried chicken in town, or the local bakery with pastries that I craved. Once I’d discovered these things, I couldn’t help but share them with people I cared about. To me, great food is personal – it’s passion, nourishment and connection all in one. And it usually comes with a great story, welcome to mine.
In the same way that the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes when he heard the songs from Whoville, something similar happened to that part of me that was passionate about feeding people when I embarked on my culinary journey. Next thing I knew I was regularly hosting dinner parties, sharing recipes with colleagues, and bringing baked goods to every event I attended. And that is where the trouble started. You see, I’d bake a bunch of biscotti to bring to the office, the Super Bowl party, Bob’s post-colonoscopy gathering and without fail someone would say, “These are SO good, you should be selling them…” The first few times I figured it was a simple kindness but eventually that lingering echo, my love of feeding people along with the fire I felt ignited when exploring new flavor combinations prevailed and ‘ZazBakehouse’ was born. The next question was, “I wonder if…” followed by a multitude of ideas. Can one taste like a cherry limeade? Do chocolate and cinnamon just make an incredible milkshake or will they hold up to baking? Can almond biscotti be more than “one note”? Could a coffee biscotti make a morning latte even better?
Professionally, I found my footing in the early 90’s when I rode my skateboard to this little natural-foods store down the street (shout out to Whole Foods Market on Shepherd and Alabama in Houston), got hired to bag groceries and within 5 years was managing a store. Over the next few years, I’d grow immensely, lose two feet worth of hair, see the country and end up in the beautiful Mid-Atlantic. With more than 25 years of experience in great food, it was easy to choose ingredients that would always be straight-forward, high-quality, and free of anything artificial. The REAL challenge was ensuring that the biscotti was unforgettable, unique, and mouthwatering. Each batch was an experiment with the goal of constant improvement. Eventually I shared samples, collected feedback, and went back into the “lab” for more trial and error. About the time I lost count of how many batches I had baked, I had six distinctly flavored biscotti with enough crunch to hold up when dunked while being tender enough to be delicious when eaten dry.
My greatest hope is to spark the same sense of discovery, zeal for flavor and excitement in sharing with everyone who tries ZazBakehouse biscotti. If you find a flavor that you enjoy with half the love that went into creating them, we’ll both be pretty happy campers. Thank you for helping make a dream come true. Best, Bryan