From the current issue of
Country Lifestyle:
Steve Blank’s inspiration for his new career grew slowly over several years. “My wife and I would drive up to Austin on weekends, stopping into Whole Foods and Central Market for fresh bread,” says Blank. “I guess you’d say that we’re foodies. And it eventually dawned on us that what San Marcos really needed was a good bread store.”
Blank opened his 800-square foot Phoenix Rising Bakery in September 2006. “The bakery is small, but I set it up so that customers can see every aspect of the process,” says Blank. “I designed it to be one big open room, with mixers and tables in full view. When you walk in the front door, you see the large, wood-fired brick oven right away.”
The oven, together with Blank’s commitment to using quality, all-natural ingredients, sets Phoenix Rising apart from large commercial operations. In an age in which grocery chains rely upon ready-made bases and mixes to create goods labeled “artisan,” Blank insists upon the age-old—and time-consuming—bread-making process.
