Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Dahlke.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved from North Pole, Alaska to Round Rock in 2014 when I was 28 to attend culinary school. I graduated from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts with my certificate in pastry. While I was still in school, I started working my way through the Austin culinary scene and learning as much as I possibly could from the insanely talented chefs that are here. I got my start at Clark’s Oyster bar, then I was a baker at St. Philip, which lead me to my pastry position at Launderette. I used to make cakes on the side when I wasn’t working, just birthday cakes for friends, dabbled in the food photography world for a short period time before ultimately leaving my full-time job(s) and moving out to McDade. I ended up being more interested in where the ingredients were coming from than working in the kitchen. I started touring farms and decided that was exactly what I wanted for my life. So that’s what I did. My husband and I moved to a 6acre spot 45 minutes outside of Austin and started a small farm and my own business – Graze Baking Co. I have done everything from weekly pastry deliveries, weddings, birthdays, pop ups, wholesale, and collabs with local restaurants, but now I am bringing it back to my happy place, the local farmer’s market.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I want to say it has been a relatively smooth road, but I think that is just because I am a total workaholic and will do whatever it takes to get to where I want to be, so even if the road is rough I still move forward. My biggest hurdle was starting with zero experience and being almost 30 in a new city where I knew literally no one, I had no culinary experience and decided to go back to school on a whim. My background is in blood banking so breaking into the creative world later on in life felt like a huge culture shock.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My main passion is baking, but I am also a potter and farmer. I am a cottage baker (baking from my home) and I focus on sourdough bread, croissants, hearty cookies, and cakes. I am most proud of my sourdough loaves, they are a true labor of love and they just bring me so much joy to make. I have recently started offering my ceramics at markets as well; mugs, candles, cups, and soon to come some small garden wares.
I think what sets me apart from others is I didn’t really find my “thing” until well into my 30’s, I was never one of those people who knew from a young age what I wanted to do. I am always evolving and most days, I still feel like I have no idea what I am doing. I went from being the Operations Specialist at a blood bank to wanting to be a chef in Austin, to living on a farm with 40 animals, a food plot, baking bread, and making pottery everyday, but somehow it’s all working out.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I absolutely love the level of support that is in Elgin, I have found my way into a group of women creatives called She Creates Union that are doing some really great things. I have had endless support from other local businesses, the farmers market, and return customers, it’s really a special place. I found a true sense of community almost instantly after moving to the area. My only dislike is that I have become so comfortable that even thinking about branching out into Austin (or any other city) with any of my work feels extremely intimidating.
Contact Info:
- Email: grazebaking@gmail.com
- Website: www.grazebakingco.com
- Instagram: @ashley__dahlke or @grazebakingco
