Inspiring Conversations with Kevin Scollo of Independent Baking Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Scollo.

Kevin , we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started off working in the culinary industry at a Michael Symon restaurant called Lolita in Cleveland, OH while attending music conservatory at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. I begged them to let me work there for free just so I could get my foot in the door. At first, I spent a few evenings a week there learning how to prep ingredients for the line cooks. One day, there was a no-call, no-show, and the chefs decided to move me up to the hotline. I worked at Lolita learning from the chefs there until I graduated college. It was one of my favorite experiences in a kitchen.

I then moved to New York City after graduation and got a job as a garde manger cook at The NoMad Hotel. At the hotel, they made the majority of the bread in house, and at the time, there was an Italian woman who was doing the baking. One evening after my shift, I stayed overnight to bake the bread with her. I grew up making bread and Sicilian pizzas with my Italian grandparents, and staying overnight with the baker reminded me how much I loved to bake bread. She was planning to go back home to Italy, so I jumped at the opportunity to work the overnight shift and learn more about bread baking. It was a great experience learning from everyone at The NoMad, where cleanliness, precision, and finesse were key. I realized, though, that I needed to work at a proper bread bakery to continue my education. I then worked for Bien Cuit Bakery and ended up running their wholesale division which made and delivered bread and pastries to 180 wholesale accounts all over NYC, and at the now closed Great Northern Food Hall in Grand Central Terminal, where I helped run the bakery department.

In 2019, I started to feel like it was time to open my own bakery. I wanted to be close to family, so my sights were set on Atlanta. My father had a good idea to sit down and chat with Chris Wilkins, former owner of Root Baking Company in Atlanta and current owner of Bar Oscar in Covington, to see how running a bakery in Atlanta was. Throughout our conversations, he let us know that Thom Leonard was looking at selling his bakery, Independent Baking Company, in Athens, and gave me Thom’s contact info. From there, the rest fell into place. We went to Athens to visit the bakery, and I was in awe of how well this small bakery was set up and how supportive the community was in Athens. The sale of the bakery went through on February 4th, 2020, and I have been so happy the last 5.5 years to be owning and running Independent Baking Co and to be a part of the Athens community.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Working in the culinary industry is never a smooth road. There are long days, long weeks, and long years. Running a manual labor operation comes with its own challenges. A particular challenge was navigating COVID while just starting to own a business. Thankfully, Athens showed up and supported local businesses during that time. I also had and continue to have an incredible team of bakers who show up for me everyday and are passionate about making quality products.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Independent Baking Company?
Independent Baking Co is a small retail bakery in the heart of the Five Points neighborhood in Athens, Ga. We specialize in hearth baked European-style breads and vienoisserie. All of our bread is made using organic flour, some of which is sourced locally from DaySpring Farms in Danielsville, Ga. We mill all of our whole grain flours in house with our Zentrofan mill from Germany. We also have a New American Stone Mills 26″ granite mill that we use to mill heirloom grits and cornmeal that we sell at the bakery.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Whether you’re coming to Athens for a football game or just a weekend getaway, go out and support the local businesses in Athens, including Independent Baking!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://independentbaking.com
• Instagram: @independentbakingco