The Bleeding Heart Bakery, an organic retail bakery in Chicago, is the culmination of a dream for owner Michelle Garcia. Her attitude toward life is reflected in her baked products.
The Bleeding Heart Bakery, an organic retail bakery in Chicago, is the culmination of a dream for owner Michelle Garcia. Her attitude toward life is reflected in her baked products.
How did you get your start?
I started baking when I was 13. I was a bit of a problem child and was sent to a school for kids like me. When we got in trouble, we got sent to kitchen duty. I got in trouble a lot, so I learned baking because everything from croissants to brioche and breads were made from scratch.
What training/education have you received?
I started by traveling around, hitchhiking, hopping trains and taking Greyhound buses from city to city and restaurant to restaurant. I just had this passion and wanted to learn everything I could. I never seemed to care about the money and still don't. Once I got serious, I went to Kendall College in Evanston, Ill. Then, I took a year off to work in Atlanta and came back to Chicago to go to French Pastry School. That was about nine years ago. I have taken some brush up classes since, but I believe real education comes from actually working in the kitchen and living it.
Who are your mentors?
Jacquy Pfieffer and Sebastien Cannone for their work ethic, tough attitude and amazing pastry, and Rudolph van Veen for his amazing, ultra modern pastry. I really admire when people can just close their eyes and jump, and that is how Rudolph is. I also really admire Kayrona Matkoff, simply for her phenomenal marketing ideas.
When/how did you decide to open your own bakery?
I always knew I would have my own place. I worked all over the world, but never found one place I just felt totally comfortable in. When I became pregnant with my son, I knew it was time. I knew that I had to create a world for him, and that is what Bleeding Heart was intended to be.
How did your bakery get its name?
There are a lot of answers to that, and I've heard the story change a lot, like a game of telephone. The name actually came to me in a dream, no kidding. I was getting my degree in business and had to create a business plan. I was having very vivid dreams about it, and I dreamed I opened the Bleeding Heart Market. When I woke up I thought “no s***, that's perfect!” The term sums up everything I believe in and everything I wanted the bakery to be.
What challenges do you face operating an organic bakery?
The first problem is and always has been sourcing everything. The farmers around here help a lot, as well as Goodness Greenness and a new company called Sustainable Foods. The costs are really high, so we only have the ability for a 30 percent mark up, which is unheard of. I know we are expensive, but I don't want to be overpriced. Also, ingredients can be somewhat inconsistent, so there is a lot of trial and error.
How has organic baking evolved since you opened?
I believe we have helped the organic bakery world to grow up a little. People are coming to us for everything now, not just what is typically thought of as being organic, such as bread or granola. We really try to make a point that organic doesn't make it different or interesting, it makes it better. The flavor profiles are clearer and the benefits to our planet can't be argued. It has been great to see the manufacturers of organic products grow with us.
What do you do when you aren't at the bakery?
When I'm not at the bakery I am either with my children and my husband or getting tattooed. My tattoos are so much like my pastries; I have so many ideas and so little time (and skin left)! My kids are where it's at, though. They are just so amazing, and my son loves cake, but only 3D cartoon ones, so he actually pushes me to work harder to make the cakes even cooler.
What advice do you have for newcomers to the industry?
My advice is very simple — don't do it for the money!