It all started as a dream. A childhood dream.

Owning a bakery has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember (see below photo for proof!).  I’m not sure why or how it came about, but it has always been there.   Growing up, every time we would visit my grandparent’s house, my grandma would have something freshly baked waiting on the stove.  There was something special about being greeted with the smell and taste of freshly baked treats.  It always evoked a simple kind of happiness… a happiness I longed to share with the world.   

In 2015, I began to brainstorm the kind of bakery I wanted to open.   I’ve always loved breakfast and knew I wanted to focus on morning pastries.  I began with one of my favorite morning pastries – the cinnamon roll.  After multiple tests and failed attempts at the perfect cinnamon roll, I stumbled upon brioche and fell in love.  I loved the process, the dough itself, and, of course, the taste.  From there I began experimenting with flavors –sweet and savory- and drafted my first Brightside Bakeshop menu.  I was hooked. 

I began learning from who ever and wherever.   My husband, Brad, and I traveled the U.S. and Europe in search of the best bakeries and pastries.  I attended courses at San Francisco Baking Institute and Le Cordon Bleu Paris to hone-in on techniques.  While taking the classes I found my second love – croissants.  Croissants were the most challenging, but when they came out right, they were the most rewarding.  They have taught me patience and persistence – very important qualities for a baker. 

Brightside Bakeshop was started out of our inspected and licensed home kitchen in October 2016. The only equipment I had was my grandmother’s classic kitchen aid mixer and double ovens.  I would wake up at 4am, bake, deliver wholesale orders, go to my full time job in retail marketing, get home at 6pm, do dishes, mix dough, and roll out for the next day.   I started at Richland Park Farmers Market and had one wholesale account starting out.  A year later I took the leap to pursue Brightside Bakeshop full time and move our kitchen operations to Citizen Kitchens in West Nashville.  A year after quitting my full-time job, Brad and I opened our first retail bakeshop at the Shops at Porter East.  There were many baby steps, long days, and sleepless nights in between (and many more to go!), but I have loved or learned from every minute.

I hope you taste the love in our pastries and feel the same happiness I set out to share.  More so, I hope it inspires you to pursue your passions and dreams, whatever they may be.   

Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you to where you need to go. 

 Thank you for joining us on the journey.

 All the pastries, All the love,

Andrea

KINDERGARTEN CAREER DAY

KINDERGARTEN CAREER DAY

TODAY

TODAY