Meet Brittany Fletcher of Country Cakes On Lake Oconee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Fletcher.

Brittany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My passion for baking began in a Home Economics class my junior year of high school. Shortly after I took a job at a local bakery in Athens, GA called Black Forest Bakery and Deli. I learned how to make doughnuts, cookies, cakes etc. I was hooked. I ended up purchasing the bakery and owned it for 3 and a half years before being diagnosed with celiac disease. As a huge lover of all things sweet this was devastating. This thing I loved to do more than anything I have ever done was impeding my health and well-being. I had heard of gluten allergies, but I had no idea the reality of it, nor how serious it actually was.

During Christmas of 2012 Black Forest Bakery closed its doors for good and I stopped baking. I moved to Montana shortly after and upon my return the great state of Georgia three and a half years later, I felt it was time to go back to my first love of baking. The world had become far more knowledgeable about celiac disease and I felt like if I really put my mind to it I could create recipes that could cater to myself as well as others like me. I had also learned how to protect myself while baking recipes that did have wheat products as ingesting these products could affect my health. It took a lot of reading and a lot of experimenting but I was determined.

Great, 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?
Closing the doors on Black Forest Bakery was a very emotional time. It caused me to question my future as a baker and I was fearful that I would have to give up my passion. Furthermore, as a doughnut FANATIC, getting diagnosed with celiac disease was a very sad day. Thankfully I have learned a lot about gluten free flours and have not only perfected normal cake and cookie recipes but have really honed my skills to cater to those like me who have dietary restrictions.

Please tell us about Country Cakes On Lake Oconee.
Country Cakes on Lake Oconee specializes in decorative/personalized sugar cookies and cakes. I started off making cookies for friends and family and quickly branched out into cake decorating. I am extremely proud of myself for progressing from baking cookies in a home economics class to teaching myself how to work with fondant, royal icing, special tools and other fun baking mediums. It has been very exciting to try new things with every new request. I believe I am unique in that for me, this is not just a job. I truly love what I do. The best part for me is seeing the reactions on the faces of my clients when they receive their special treats.

I believe what sets me apart for many other bakeries is I not only have the capability to create gluten free and/or dairy free recipes but that I make each recipe tasty and from scratch. I am always experimenting with new flours. There are many bakeries that have one gluten free recipe, one vanilla cake recipe or one chocolate cake recipe and I have many. It is extremely important to me that my recipes are always evolving.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Some of my favorite memories from childhood consist of going into the local bakery, Black Forest Bakery, on a Saturday with my grandmother and brother. Walking in and having shelves upon shelves covered in various treats to choose from. The employee behind the counter would grab a box, lay tissue in it and wait patiently while we searched high and low for the perfect treats. Once we picked out our two treats a piece they would be wrapped in more tissue and placed neatly in the box that was topped off with a red round sticker stating the name and number for BFB. My brother and I would rush back to the car and beg to dig in. It was like opening a Christmas gift every time you started pulling out the perfectly wrapped sweets.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 706.201.6010
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CountryCakesOnLakeOconee/

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