Smart move for Dallas couple who reinvented themselves as bakers
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - They say happiness is homemade, and that's certainly the case for Tyler Rooney.
He's been a chef for years in many different kitchens. But when the pandemic hit, he and his wife were both laid off. Like many others, they stopped, reassessed, and thought "what do we really want to do?"
The next few months would prove crucial to their careers, as they forged a new path.
"I just started baking for the neighborhood, super small, and it grew from there," Rooney said.
Baking each day to the backdrop of his crafty Oak Cliff neighborhood, Rooney began realizing a dream he always had.
"I always wanted to make the transition from Chef to Baker, but the timing wasn't good." He said.
He says COVID-19 came with a silver lining.
"We made the leap. We took the risk. We took our stimulus money, and I bought a mixer. And I bought equipment and we kept recycling the money back into the business. We still bake all of the pastry out of our double home oven" Rooney said.
That's when Oak Cliff Bread was born. The City's very own village bakery.
Inside Tyler's home kitchen, he and his wife gather ingredients, test recipes, and churn out more bread than you can imagine.
They've opened shop at the Dallas Farmer's Market, but if you don't catch them early, they sell out.
"When we sell out-- someone will walk by and say 'Oh, you underestimated.' and I say...'This isn't estimation. This is full capacity, what we can bake.'"
In just two years, business is officially booming, supporting not only his family, but the mouths of his community as well.
At a time when Oak Cliff is seeing a wave of revitalization, he says his success, is Oak Cliff's success too.
"We are super honored to be a part of this community. We want to stay here, and we want to continue to enrich the food scene. We are dedicated to Oak Cliff and we are happy to make the city a little more tasty," Rooney said.
