A 120-year-old farmhouse and a 50-year-old truck led to a new life launching Fauquier's Red Truck Bakery.
The customer reaction to my weekend Red Truck Bakery has been wild. Many call my focaccia bread addictive and tell me they sometimes buy two loaves because they inevitably start—then finish—eating one loaf of the olive oil-drenched bread while driving home. I made a large amount of marzipan stollen for the holidays and one customer, who drives in from Georgetown for my baked goods, pronounced it better than what she had in Germany just the week before. Over 40 tropical fruitcakes, which I learned to make at a private paladar in Havana, Cuba, sold out in two days (time after time I was told “I thought I didn’t like fruitcakes!”). And my bagels—authentic New York bagels, boiled in malt, not steamed, that I made at the CIA—have been the biggest hit. I’m asked every weekend when I’m making those again.
The answer is: soon. After deciding to leave magazine publishing to take the bakery full-time, I’ve scouted numerous locations in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, still looking for that perfect spot. I’d like the Red Truck Bakery to be a rural destination, with a small gourmet market and café worthy of a drive in the country. I’m looking at sites in the village of Orlean and the town of Marshall, both nestled among the orchards, horse farms and vineyards of Fauquier County. A rural location offers a proximity to local farmers and their hard-earned products.
“Honest fresh and local foods” is my guiding philosophy. Whenever possible, I want to make high-quality breads and pastries using local eggs, milk and butter, and offer sandwiches and entrees-to-go featuring the freshest organic produce, meats, and dairy items from local farms—I want to know where the food is coming from, how it was raised, and whom to thank for a job well done. I know the hours will be grueling and realize that pulling the business together will be hard work. But I’m fed by the enthusiasm and support of a good cadre of customers, and I’m excited about bringing my passion to life. And I want to have fun doing it. It’s time to get those bagels into the oven.
Red Truck Bakery goods are sold throughout Fauquier and Rappahannock counties. E-mail Brian@RedTruckBakery.com or visit RedTruckBakery.com for more information.
