Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Parris.
Hi Leah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The idea for Flour + Time was born about two years before it ever became a reality. I became interested in baking sourdough while living in San Francisco, and as I learned and improved my skills, my boyfriend and I saw the potential to share my burgeoning gifts with others. At the same time, I had finally committed to a vegan lifestyle after waffling back and forth for a few years, and I started “vegan-izing” my favorite sweets and treats. We dreamt of a neighborhood bakery that would offer fresh bread and vegan goodies to our friends and neighbors, creating a welcoming and safe space for all to gather. That dream stayed on the back burner as we ended our time in SF. Up to this point in my work life, I had been focused on performance, but the inconsistency of going from gig to gig had been wearing on me for a while. I wanted to create my own stability, so when we landed back in Atlanta, I decided to apply for jobs at bakeries to gain some hands-on experience in the field into which I was hoping to venture. I was lucky to come across Alejandra at Hell Yeah Gluten Free, who very kindly gave me a space on her team even though I had no professional kitchen experience. This was November of 2019, and I was having a blast! We were boppin’ along like everyone else until March of 2020 knocked the world on its ass. Hell Yeah temporarily closed its doors and I found myself at a loose end, needing to find some way to get through this strange time.
So, I turned to the only thing I had in my back pocket: Flour + Time. I’m very lucky to be walking through life with my boyfriend, Michael – whose restaurant credentials could fill this whole article – because without him, I would have had no idea how to even begin! We decided that we would sell online and deliver to our customers so that they could stay safe at home. We set up a website and registered as a cottage kitchen so that I could legally sell food from our home. We turned our tiny kitchen into a proper little production space, I recipe tested several of my favorite treats, we ordered stickers and boxes, and finally, I announced on the Vegan Atlanta Facebook page that I was accepting orders. That was mid-April 2020, and what has happened since then has felt pretty miraculous, even though it’s taken a lot of hard work. Almost immediately, we were met with overwhelming support from the vegan community around Atlanta that has sustained us ever since. Just saying that fills me with a wave of gratitude that I can’t ignore. The people we get to serve are just amazing! As vaccines became available and things started opening up, we really wanted to be able to see our wonderful customers face to face so we started applying to farmer’s markets. We were lucky to land in the Avondale Estates and Brookhaven markets this past summer, which has been an awesome experience. As we look into 2022, our hope is to expand into a larger space to better serve the community.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
If you’re looking for obstacles, you’ll typically find some, right? While there have been challenges along the way, one of my main goals throughout this journey has been to maintain a positive mindset, so I’ll keep this brief. The first hurdles I faced were forming the business, creating a website, and perfecting my recipes. Once I started accepting orders, I quickly realized that working in a 100 sq. ft. kitchen was going to be harder than I anticipated; It’s a logistical nightmare! When we first opened, deliveries were the only logical option since everyone was staying home. As the city began to reopen, however, that dreaded Atlanta traffic made delivering all over the metro area a real challenge. On top of that, I started running into supply chain problems with some of the specialty vegan ingredients on which I rely. Even stocking up as much as I can, I still get caught off-guard sometimes. Aside from these and other practical issues, the biggest and most persistent challenge has been believing in myself. For anyone embarking on a new business, I’d like to share with you what I tell myself daily: Be kind to yourself! We are all capable and worthy of success.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Flour + Time is a fully vegan bakeshop specializing in classic and nostalgic treats. When I made the personal choice to become vegan, it was hard to give up the comfort foods I had come to love. The thought of not being able to have a croissant with my morning coffee was just not working for me, which prompted me to develop these recipes in the first place. I decided to not accept the common notion of veganism as something restrictive and instead began to see it as an abundant and completely positive way to live. It has always been my hope that Flour + Time can help others feel the same way!
Any big plans?
I would love to move into a larger space, get a few more hands in the kitchen, and be able to offer our goodies to a broader audience. We still dream of a cute little neighborhood bakery where I can engage with the community, but the overwhelming support that we have seen has encouraged me to think even bigger. In tandem with the bakery, I would also love to see our products in every grocery store in America. We’ll see how everything shakes out. Watch this space!
Pricing:
- Sourdough $7-$9
- Pastries $4-$7
- Cookies $2-$4
- Pies $32-$45
Contact Info:
- Email: flourandtimebakery@gmail.com
- Website: www.flourandtimebakery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourandtimebakery
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flour.and.time
Image Credits:
Hannah Lake Photography
