We were lucky to catch up with Taylor Houston recently and have shared our conversation below.
Taylor, appreciate you joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
So do you believe that everything happens for a reason and it all falls into place? Because that is exactly how Alternative Flour Bakeshop came to be. My passion has always been in something artistic and when I decided to pick a college to go to I chose culinary arts. I mean edible art, science and math was right up my alley. So for the last 18 years I have had my career in the Pastry world, whether a Pastry Cook, Baker, Lead Baker, Assistant Pastry Chef and then finally a few spots in a Pastry Chef role. I moved to Boise in March of 2023, from a small mountain resort town in Colorado, where my Pastry Chef position at a fine dining downtown Boise restaurant fell into my lap. I established myself pretty quickly with my new fun twists on desserts and I felt like I made it to the top. I was exactly where I needed to be. Being brand new a certain social media page kept popping up ads and all of a sudden I was receiving ads on wellness clinics and centers. I had just started getting into somatic breathwork, ice baths and trying to figure out who the new me in this new town was going to be besides being “a single mom.” I finally clicked on an ad and proceeded to set-up an appointment to check out this wellness center, one of those “try it all for the low price of like 60 bucks.” I went on that day, had a fabulous time standing in a cryo-vac style cold air “bath”, some red light facial therapy and then onto the red light sauna. Now at the end I had no idea that I would try to be bought with a monthly fee. I was honest and could not afford it but proceeded to talk with the woman who walked me through everything. I’m basically an open book, so once I was telling her my story she shared the information I needed to go check out her holistic therapist, and proceeded to tell me “it sounds like you need Kate.”
Well not too long after I reached out to Kate and booked a session. Now I was slightly unhappy with myself, eating the wrong things, not feeling the best in my own skin and had just gone through a split from my son’s father, cancelled a wedding, sold my house and moved to a whole new state where some of my family lives. I wanted some guidance and I found that in Kate. As a holistic therapist we jump started my new journey with the supplements my body was needing as well as finding out what wasn’t working for me. That’s when I found out gluten and dairy were not my friend. But I’m a Pastry Chef, I’m suppose to eat what I make. I create my own menus, how am I to navigate this. Well after some time I eliminated all gluten from my diet. Dairy took a little longer but eventually I became 100% gluten and dairy free by March 2024.
Still having a passion for what I was creating but sadly not able to enjoy kind of took a toll on me. I was amazed I could create a delicious dessert menu with some super fun items (potato and chocolate tart with a crystal clear potato chip) but at the same time I was losing something from this now. It took a toll, but I hadn’t quite figured out what to do. I was working full time, I was a single Mom and I decided to pick back up Roller Derby after not skating for 7 years, but skating for 8 years competitively in Chicago. My plate was full, but not fulfilled. And then I had a moment of lack of joy. I went into work and you could tell the spark was gone from me. I just wasn’t feeling it anymore. My boss sat me down and we chatted a bit. I was open and honest and I wasn’t in trouble or anything, but there were signs that I wasn’t happy with the environment I was working in for multiple reasons. I was told to grow thicker skin. On that day June 10th, 2024 I went and filed for my LLC. Being told to grow thicker skin when I’m a total Empath, music sets my tone, hard work in my mind pays off and we were all a team whether I was Pastry or they were Culinary. Yet it seemed to be I was working in a traditional Male dominated kitchen, where everyone was nice, but conversations were locker room chats and I was spending more time here than with my kiddo.
Alternative Flour Bakeshop has such a ring to it. I mean I’m a lil edgy, with a love of alternative music. And now i can only eat alternative flours, that made it a no brainer. It was me to a T. My only restrictions for AFB was to create delicious pastries that are always gluten free and dairy free, this way I can eat what I make and know for a fact that I’m producing a fabulous product. Remember how I said I rejoined roller derby? Well, I started skating with the manager of one of the local farmer’s markets. That was it! Things were lining up. I was off Saturdays, the market was that day of the week, I grew to know the manager a bit more and so I applied. I was accepted in and my first market was August 17th, 2024.
I did it! I had my first market, I sold the business with the passion I had been lacking but knew it was still inside me. My first market consisted of gluten free and dairy free items such as cookies, rice crispy treats, granola, crostatas and brownies. I didn’t sell out, however I didn’t care. I did this! I was creating things that others could enjoy. Items that weren’t overly processed that you can trust. I met someone who now I talk to regularly who sees me and the amazing things I create and has been such a joy to bake for. She even came back the following week and gave me her very own gluten free cookie cook book (thank you Susan!) Another woman that first day came to me and was very interested in my savory crostata, but the plant based butter I was using had soy in it and she could not have that. So I changed my recipes. I did research and looked into changing my items to be vegan. That was what sold me on the items I now create. I have been baking items that are all gluten free (celiac friendly-as I was baking everything in a brand new tabletop convection oven and spending my Friday nights up till 3am Saturday morning baking and packaging), dairy free, soy free, vegan and artificial dye free. The next few markets I just kept getting the word out, keeping my personality as myself, I was and still am 100% authentically me. Cue a new customer who is gluten free and vegan who was so stoked to try my items that he challenged me to a pecan pie test. He missed it so much since he started eating within his restrictions that I decided to take that on, among two other types of pies for the holiday season and I’d like to say i knocked those “out of the park.” I had someone who enjoyed my pastries but didn’t enjoy some other version of a gluten free cinnamon roll. Guess what I did? I took that as a challenge. And that has now become a number 1 seller. Along with various flavored pop-tarts! I have chosen to create these items because others are limited to things such as these. People with food restrictions don’t want to feel left out and such as myself will also try to not make it a big deal at times. But with the way things are, these items such as a pop tart are hard to find. At times you find something either gluten free but not dairy free or vegan. And vice versa. I am proud to say I am one of the many that are trying to change the way food restrictions are viewed. I believe everyone should be able to have a little sweetness in their life and I love to see people smile. I do this not only for myself but for others. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead in 2025 for my cottage bakeshop, I want to be THE go to shop one day for alternative pastry items.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I knew I didn’t want to go to a traditional 4 year college. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after high school, but knew I wanted to do art of some form. At one point I wanted to go to Northwestern Illinois and play Women’s Lacrosse but wasn’t sure what I would be studying. I also didn’t want to teach art or sell my art. Then I had a love for math and science. Add that with a dash of baking boxed cakes for my friends birthdays and creating fun things out of 9″x13″ pan and you find yourself signing up for an Associates Degree Program through the Le Cordon Bleu school in Chicago. I also started my first job at 15 years old in an Italian restaurant and that’s what helped me fall in love with the industry and creating lasting memories for restaurant guests. After college graduation I was breed into Marriott Hotels for basically the next 10 years. Every interaction I had along the way led to a connection I had later in life to help me where I’m at today.
With AFB, I want people to be able to come to me and let me create their dream pastries basically. Let me help you enjoy life a little bit more by adding some sweetness. I love to hear stories of the memories that are created with the items I sell. The pure joy on people’s faces when they bite into a treat of mine is enough thanks for me. I truly want people to enjoy the items I create.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I realized early on that getting my business off the ground was going to take money. And it was money I didn’t have. That’s why it took basically 2 months to get AFB into the Saturday market without having any knowledge beforehand. Co-workers kept mentioning about donating plasma. I had never done this before and wasn’t sure I would be able to for whatever reason. I found out they were having a promo and if I went to donate plasma twice a week for about 5 weeks I could make close to $800. This is what helped me fund AFB. Because I wanted to have items be celiac friendly I needed all new equipment so even someone with the utmost severity of a gluten allergy could trust me. The money from plasma helped me purchase a new Kitchenaid mixer, a tabletop convection oven, new pans, fees and small business insurance and the beginnings of my ingredients. It also helped that family members were passing along their Kohl’s cash as well so I could get some help with purchasing items.
Have you ever had to pivot?
My life is one big pivotal moment. Change and challenges tend to not frighten me, but I welcome them with open arms. I grew up around Chicago, and when my parents split I moved to the Northside. That was my first adult like pivotal moment. I eventually grew tired of the city life and wanted more mountains and outdoorsy adventures. My boyfriend at the time and I decided to post on social media that we would move to Colorado. I mean I had only been there once for roller derby while we were traveling for the all-star team, but it seemed like a great fit. All I knew was I wanted to be in the Pastry world and have mountains. Whelp after posting, my old banquet chef from my first actual baking job in Marriott from 10 years previous reached out saying he needed a Pastry Chef. A month later we moved to a small mountain town sight unseen and I was the new Pastry Chef of a high end ranch resort. I loved the environment I was in. In March 2021, our son was born and I could no longer work. There really wasn’t daycare options where we lived (to put it into perspective, my son was born at a hospital 1 1/2 hours away from where we lived because it was one of the closest options) and we had no family in that area. A few months later I picked up working on the weekends as a waitress and bartender. I then eventually started working as a rental property cleaner where I would have my son strapped to my back while I worked. This was a fun time in my life, but I missed Pastry. I wasn’t ever sure I would have my career back in my life. January 2023, my fiancé/son’s father and I decided to call off our wedding (October 2023) and end our relationship. We grew apart in ways that showed a lack of respect for each other and wanted to make sure to show our son something different then what we were going through.
I never saw my life landing in Idaho. But when trying to figure out where to move since living in Granby, Colorado was not a doable thing for myself and my son I had to decide between New Mexico where my Mom lived or Boise, Idaho where my other family members lived. I chose Boise on a whim, again without a job lined up since I knew I enjoyed New Mexico, but as a place to visit. My Dad found my Pastry Chef position on Indeed but when I went to check it out it wasn’t there. I found out it had been taken down that exact morning. I waited outside one of my many jobs in February 2023 and called the restaurant. I told the owner I would be visiting in February (going to see Bluey live for my son-booked months in advance) and would be moving in March. The interview was set as I seemed to be “exactly what they were looking for.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alternativeflourbakeshop.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alternativeflour
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alternativeflourbakeshop
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/taylorhouston
Image Credits
Christmas Image of me and AFB Pumpkins: one_eyed_views (instagram)