Chicago Chef Turns New Skill into Lucrative Venture
Luella's Southern Kitchen chef/owner Darnell Reed takes pastry-making course, then starts online bakery cranking out hand pies, cobblers and caramel cakes.
“We [had] to do something to make up for the lost revenue,” said Darnell Reed, chef/owner of Luella’s Southern Kitchen in Chicago, on why he started Baye’s Little Bakery, the Southern-focused, online concept he launched in June. “[I thought] maybe if I ran two businesses out of one location it would really help because I don’t have any extra overhead other than whatever labor and food costs would be involved.”
Throughout this pandemic, many restaurants have pivoted to a dual model for survival, and staying on brand is key. What’s also important is not putting additional pressure on models struggling to survive.
Reed’s new venture nevertheless happened organically, following training he received at the prestigious French Pastry School. He decided to sharpen his baking skills with online courses because business at the restaurant had slowed down due to the pandemic. Like most people, he suddenly had more time on his hands, so why not learn something new?
He had been using his family and employees as guinea pigs with all the treats he whipped up when a light bulb went off. It was time to make some money with these creations.
During a recent LIVE! Culinary Series episode, we discussed the process of how he built the online bakery. He utilized Luella’s Southern Kitchen’s existing ordering platform that he set up during the pandemic to use for Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day.
With Baye’s, he could easily sell a rotating list of Southern-inspired baked goods, which was an innovative way to expand his brand. Favorites include cherry hand pies, Hummingbird cake, and a blackberry, caramel and sweet potato cobbler. They’re all made to order and from scratch. Orders are pre-paid, and customers may pick them up curbside or in the restaurant.
This fall, he’s planning to add savory items to the mix, including a bacon-infused quiche.
“I’m thinking bacon-cheddar-scallion quiche or different things like that,” revealed Reed. “I am going to shift into savory when some of the fruits are not in season.”
He’s always planning ahead.