Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carrie Walker and Laura Hinkle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

Flavor creativity and unlikely pairings/partnerships have been the biggest trends we’ve noticed in the food world since purchasing Coco + Hazel in September of 2023. While it can feel challenging to stay relevant with unique flavor profiles that aren’t always appealing to everyone’s palate, it has also been incredibly exciting to go down the proverbial rabbit hole of flavor fusion within the dessert subsection of the food world. While neither of us is a professional baker or chef, we have both enjoyed lifelong baking and cooking hobbies and have especially loved supporting our amazing head baker, Eduardo Bravo Carbajal, in exploring his journey through integrating his Mexican roots with local and current flavor trends at Coco + Hazel. We love that Eduardo is so eager and willing to experiment with unique flavors, like Ube, Matcha, Habanero, Lavender, and prickly pear (to name a few)- while also staying firmly rooted in certain traditional baking traditions and cultural flavors unique to his Oaxacan heritage.

In July, our Operations Manager enthusiastically entered C+H into the regional Duke’s Mayonnaise Hot Tomato Summer contest. This contest was originally started around 4 years ago by Duke’s to help support local restaurants and cafes in the early days of COVID. It helped bring visibility to the food scene through a quirky challenge of creating a dish that features both tomatoes and Duke’s mayonnaise. This year proved to have the largest turnout of participants (330 restaurants across 6 cities) and community members and customers across these 6 cities (Charleston, Charlotte, Greenville, Raleigh, Richmond, and Knoxville) had 10 days to vote for their favorite dish/restaurant. We knew that we would have incredible competition with so many award-winning restaurants- many of whom have been featured in national reviews. But we also trusted that we might have an unusual advantage as a specialty dessert cafe- most places would be focusing on a savory use of tomato and mayo. We were pretty spot on- very few restaurants ventured beyond tomato pies, burgers, elevated BLTs, or pasta dishes. We dove head first into creating The Dukonator: a “sundae” featuring a housemade tomato ice cream, Duke’s mayo whipped cream, and a spicy candied bacon topping with fresh basil. This unique recipe was created and perfected by the unusual partnership between a mom, a Oaxacan baker, and an aspiring teenage chef. Not only did Coco + Hazel win the coveted Golden Tomato Award from Duke’s, but we also received the most votes (by nearly 2,000), across all 6 participating cities!

Not every trend is worth the risk- and there are certainly huge concerns (failure, revenue loss, loss of credibility- all hugely impactful in an industry with low profitability). But the opportunities (in our humble opinion) almost always outweigh the concerns when working to remain relevant, successful, and innovative as a specialty food business. As business partners, we have always complemented each other beautifully. Most would say that we are, in all actuality, a very unusual and unlikely pairing. Laura operates from a very grounded and analytical perspective while always being relatively risk-averse. Carrie thrives with new ideas and has an openness to risk and newness- she is definitely more of a “yes” person. Laura helps keep her tethered and together, the pairing is as wonderful as strawberry and rhubarb; hot honey and pizza; mayo and heavy cream; mango and chili… you get the idea!

Before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Although Laura and Carrie arrived at Coco + Hazel from different career journeys, both have always had entrepreneurial energy. A Richmond, VA native, Laura got her first restaurant gig at Little Caesar’s, where she worked from 15 to 30, climbing management ranks while completing her undergraduate education. She then crossed over into the realm of healthcare and data analytics, working at HCA and Capital One. She completed her MBA at Virginia Commonwealth University and has always had a keen eye for business and process efficiencies.

Carrie relocated to Richmond, VA to complete her master’s degree in Counseling and has worked as a Licensed Professional Counselor for the past 20 years. She opened her mental health practice in 2012 and has grown it into a 3-location multi-million dollar business, providing accessible and affirming mental health care to Virginia residents. During COVID, Carrie obtained her MBA at The College of William & Mary.

Laura and Carrie met about 10 years ago when their daughters were in elementary school together. With an instant connection over a shared sense of humor, they quickly recognized a unique synergy with Laura’s analytical brain and Carrie’s intuitive nature. Laura began providing some business consultation to Carrie’s healthcare practice and they developed a deep bond over shared values while recognizing how much more they were able to accomplish when working together. It was no surprise in the summer of 2023 when Laura and Carrie came across an ad for the sale of Coco + Hazel and became elated about the idea of reviving this adorable but struggling business. They felt confident in their abilities to help Coco + Hazel rebrand and evolve to become a wonderful “third place” for the local Bon Air community.

Laura and Carrie wholeheartedly believe in the value and power of person-centered, community-focused business ethics. If you invest in and center the individuals in the trenches doing the work for your business, your customers and clients will always come out ahead. An emotionally intelligent leader will never ask someone to do something they aren’t willing to do themselves. This approach is central to the vision and mission of Coco + Hazel- a creative, fun, and affirming space where everyone can work, relax, and celebrate. With their healthcare backgrounds, Laura and Carrie recognize and appreciate the multi-faceted nature of people. We are all comprised of many “parts of self” and business owners must understand those parts when conceptualizing a business model, product, and work culture.

Since taking over Coco + Hazel in September of 2023, Laura and Carrie are most proud of the relationships they’ve built with staff and the local community. These relationships have been instrumental in understanding the necessary product changes (e.g., creating more accessible and affordable “over the top” dessert options for all families to enjoy) to make Coco + Hazel both accessible and sustainable.

Any advice for managing a team?

It’s essential that leaders recognize the importance of not needing to hold all of the knowledge in order to be successful. It’s more important to surround yourself with multiple differently-skilled individuals who bring knowledge to your team. You do not need to be “the best” at a certain skillset to lead teams. You need to have the confidence to identify and elevate others with skills different from your own to be an effective leader. Doing so will not only build morale, but will set your business apart. Knowing what you don’t know- and hiring team members who help fill those knowledge and skill gaps- is a win-win for everyone. This helps to foster an environment of cohesion, interdependence, and symbiosis. Additionally, investing in training and growth opportunities for staff is key to maintaining high morale. Everyone will have a desire to grow when they feel seen, heard, and valued.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Laura and Carrie first met 10 years ago when their daughters attended the same elementary school. Fast friends, their daughters began having play dates, forcing these two working moms to interact. They quickly bonded over a shared sense of humor and salt-of-the-earth approach to life despite being immersed in demanding executive-level careers. Carrie always struggled with making tough business decisions with her bleeding-heart-therapist brain and came to cherish Laura’s sage advice for some tough challenges with Carrie’s growing mental health practice. Carrie brought Laura on as a business consultant and credits Laura with transforming many of the back-office processes that enabled her practice to grow from 5 to 100 employees. Over the years, their friendship continued to deepen and their bond has transcended many personal and professional transitions. In 2018, Laura’s daughter tragically lost her father. Supporting her daughter through parent loss and navigating single parenthood highlighted the value of accessible mental health care for Laura and she became more involved in Carrie’s practice, eventually joining Richmond Creative Counseling this year as the new Executive Director. Laura and Carrie’s friendship has remained solid, unflappable, and flexible throughout the ups and downs of their career journeys. After 8 years of working together in Carrie’s healthcare business, they felt entirely confident in their ability to co-own Coco + Hazel. It has not been stress free, but they have never stopped being able to laugh together, even in the most stressful of times.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cocoandhazel.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cocoandhazelrichmond/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CocoandHazelRichmond/

Image Credits

Photo credit to Jacqui Depas of By Jacqui Photography and Tori Duhaime (photo of Carrie and Laura on couch)