Melissa Ross: Calli Marie Bakes!

BREW Five Points Baker, Calli Marie, and owner Jack Twachtman stop by to see Melissa with treats to discuss Calli's new self-publish cookbook, Calli Marie Bakes. If you haven't already been to BREW in Fivepoints, well you've missed one of the coolest spaces available in the urban core. But if you haven't eaten the baked goods, then you are missing something amazing from the artisanal foodie scene in Riverside. Check it out after the jump!

Published May 11, 2016 in Culture - MetroJacksonville.com

First Coast Connect videos produced by TVJax.com
Starring Melissa Ross
Shot and Edited by Derrick Allen Dillinger
In cooperation with WJCT

About this project

Hi, my name is Calli Marie and my friends and I are making a cookbook!

This book is the culmination of the past year of my life doing what I love to do - baking for a coffee shop. It’s become my life’s passion and I’m so excited to share it all with you! It's been a personal goal of mine for several years to write a cookbook by the age of 24. Better late than never, I'm launching this project the day before my 24th birthday and (if all goes well), printing before the end of the year. And it’s going to be beautiful!

About Me and My Cookbook

My cookbook is all about bringing the coffee shop experience home with you.

Coffee shop culture has been an important part of my life for many years. I've met so many amazing people in them and spent some of the best times of my life hanging out with friends and chatting over coffee.

I’d worked in many bakeries and restaurants after culinary school but when a new coffee shop opened up in my neighborhood, there was no way I could refuse the opportunity, even though I had no experience. I ended up being way better at baking than I was at making lattes but, in the end, I got to do what I'm good at in my favorite place in the world!

For the past year, I've been heading up the food program at BREW Five Points, a coffee shop and craft beer bar in Jacksonville, FL. I was hired as a barista but after a few months I saw an opportunity to help make the business more money and give me the opportunity to make the kinds of things I wanted to make for a living. The boss dug my pitch, bought me some equipment and I hit the ground running, cooking and baking my little butt off and I literally haven’t stopped since!

For me, baking delicious treats both savory and sweet, is all about bringing people together. It's been my pleasure to do it professionally for the past year but now it's time to share what I've learned with all of you so you can share with your friends and loved ones. The book will contain recipes I’ve developed for BREW including my take on the classic Texas donut shop kolache, quiche, cookies, cakes and more. Just like the weekly specials we have in the shop, the recipes will be organized according to the seasons so that you can bake fun and delicious treats all year long! It’s also for everyone. If you’re an experienced baker you’ll be able to dive right in. If not, I’ll walk you through the necessary equipment, pantry essentials and basic baking techniques you’ll need to start baking delicious coffee shop-style cuisine at home. So throw on an apron, call all your friends, pre-heat that oven and let's get to baking!

But wait...

We need to print the cookbook first - and to do that we need your help! Even though I’ve been able to recruit an amazing team of beautiful, talented, creative humans to help me put it all together, printing is expensive. Like, really expensive!

Small Bio- In Jacksonville's small, up-and-coming Five Points district, a midnight baker goes to work. The sweet smell of sugar and taste of espresso awaken Calli Marie, as she attempts to rub her eyes without smearing flour into her always sleepy lashes.

What began as a hobby at only fifteen years old, exploded into a full-blown profession by the time she was of legal age. Classically trained at the Art Institute, Calli gained a wealth of knowledge, networking, and experience. Combined with a deep-rooted passion for making all things "refined, artistic, scrumptious," she happily joined up with BREW, where she now serves as the food program manager.

In addition to her custom cakes that truly treat all of the senses, Calli's current projects consist of contributing to the 2016 Chef's Canvas, as well as writing her own cookbook (due out November 1).

When she's not baking tasty masterpieces, Calli can be found in her bathtub, most likely dreaming of a vanilla creme brûlée a la Michael Bump, topped with a healthy scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

http://www.callimariebakes.com/
Help Calli Marie reach her goal. Donate today at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/406498169/calli-marie-bakes-coffee-shop-inspired-baking-at-h

Join the conversation:
Call: (904) 549-2937 (Note: This line is only active during the program, 9:00-10:00 a.m.)
Tweet: @MelissainJax
Email: firstcoastconnect@wjct.org
First Coast Connect
Melissa Ross

This article can be found at: http://dev.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-may-melissa-ross-calli-marie-bakes