Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Fisher.
Hi Anthony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I will do my best.
I wrote a little poem one time that goes:
“I am a patchwork quilt,
My fabric is plain, worn, and imported,
Both elegant and ugly,
I am stitched together with love and shared experience.”
In short, I was raised by a Black stepfather, a Mestizo (White + Filipina) mother, and a Filipina grandmother in the Deep South. Everything else is a stream from that river. The way I move, talk, think, and cook were influenced by those three people and that place.
I was almost always “up under” my lola (grandma) as a kid. When she was in the kitchen, I was in the kitchen. I was always fascinated with her ability to transform next-to-nothing ingredients into rich, life-giving meals.
Her passing was devastating for our family. In an effort to stay connected to her and to connect to my Filipino heritage, I started collecting her recipes and cooking her food. That’s where my journey to self-discovery and baking began.
Seven Fingers Baked Goods is a product of that journey and my baking is heavily influenced by my lola, my mama, my pops, and my hometown! I’m not in the forefront, they are.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say that it has been a smooth road by any means. It’s a lot like Atlanta highways… there are potholes, big ass metal plates everywhere, traffic, and accidents along the way. For me, it’s about the kind of driver you are (figuratively).
My folks taught me how to adapt, how to be resilient, and how to roll with the blows, so despite the difficulties of operating and growing a very niche micro-bakery, it has been a worthwhile experience for me.
For starters, I was one of the first Pinoy-ish bakers on the scene in Atlanta. I want to respect to the OGs, Antonio Family Foods, but at the time, I didn’t have a relationship with them or any other micro-bakers, so I had to learn how to do “business” as I went along. I didn’t know anything about pricing, branding, marketing or any of that. That is still tough for me, but I’ve gotten better at it. I am also blessed to have a community of people and business owners around me now that pour into me and teach me what they know.
I also started during the pandemic. Imagine telling the internet, “Hey, I know it’s not safe outside and I know you just lost your job, but come buy some bread from a complete stranger! I promise, it’s delicious!” Folks actually came out, which is the wild part, but it was low and slow for a while!
I also still have a full-time job, a wife, and a kid. They are and will always be priority, so sometimes, adding baking in the mix can be one hell of a balancing act!
We’ve been impressed with Seven Fingers Baked Goods, 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?
When I got my start, I originally called this little operation Pare Baked Goods. At the time, I didn’t want to take myself too seriously. I was dipping my toes into the food service industry (as a baker) and wanted my name to be playful but also nod to how I felt about my proximity to the Filipino community. I’m looked at as a white man by Western standards. That’s all fine and good, but that perception doesn’t show you who I came from and who nurtured me. The term pare loosely translates to pal or homeboy. That’s how I felt… I was the homeboy who was cool enough to kick it.
I never really shook that off. In fact, I learned to embrace it and I wanted my food and my experience to speak for themselves!
I’ve been grinding, retooling recipes, getting feedback from customers and peers and doing my R and D… I have grown a lot and it shows. When I serve you bread or pastry, I am putting my soul out there. More times than not, it is received well, but I acknowledge that I’m not for everybody.
I changed the name to Seven Fingers Baked Goods once I realized that I wanted to be in this industry for the long haul. The name is a tribute to Larry Itliong, a Filipino American hero! He, like my lola, was from Pangasinan. Much like other young Filipinos growing up under American occupation, he was led to believe that America was a land of opportunity where you could literally pick up money off of the ground. He came to the States with dreams of being a lawyer but was quickly pulled into the ranks of Filipino immigrants who worked hard labor picking crops and working in canneries up and down the West coast. Seeing the inequities that Filipinos and other minorities were experiencing, he made it his life’s mission to fight for their rights. He worked for better wages and living conditions for laborers. He also played a vital in Cesar Chavez’s success! He was a man of the people. I want to be like him and I want my baking to blossom into an extension of that legacy of service and resistance. That’s part of the reason I chose a fist with seven fingers as my logo.
Whether it’s using profits to build up and support other Fil-Ams or donating to worthy causes, I want to use my baking to be an act of service. The food is a vessel for an even bigger conversation about people’s power, equity, and justice. I’m vocal about that!
I am known for my pandesal (Filipino rolls), ensaymada (brioche topped with buttercream), and polvoron (cookies). These are common in the Philippines. They show the beauty of the Filipino culinary landscape, but I also find ways to take Filipino ingredients and use them in more non-traditional manners. A crowd favorite is my ube cheesecake. Ube is purple yam indigenous to the Philippines. I finish it with a coconut milk caramel. Food is like jazz. Once you know the basics, you can improvise. You can add this and sub that and make beautiful things! So, I find myself standing in the middle with one hand in history and the other reaching forward. I think that anyone who has tasted my food can attest to that.
How do you define success?
Success is being able to rest from whatever you put your hands to knowing that you have done everything that you could to pursue a beautiful outcome for yourself and those around you. Success is climbing the mountain and showing others how to or lending a hand along the way. Success is more about WE than ME. If I am crushing it baking, but my daughter doesn’t have my love and attention, I am not succeeding. If I am making delicious things and benefiting from that, but I’m not thinking of ways to help others, I’m not succeeding. For me, there is no success without mindfulness.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/sevenfingersbakedgoods
