Get To Know: Christie Rich of The Bread Chic

Get to Know

Mar 8

Christie Rich and her son, Micah, the dough specialist.

Christie Rich had never planned to open a bakery. At this time last year, she wanted nothing more than a small kitchen of her own – one without time limitations and meticulous rulebooks – to help her satisfy growing demand from restaurants and market-goers across Fort Collins. Then summer rolled around, and she came across a listing for a unit on the corner of Olive Street and Mason Street. Her plans changed.

In November, The Bread Chic opened its doors just blocks away from the site of the Larimer County Farmers Market, where Rich made a name for herself selling mouthwatering baked goods every summer weekend since moving to Colorado in 2015. Accompanied by her 16-year-old son Micah, Rich now lines her display cases with a variety of fresh breads, desserts, cookies, quiches, comfort foods, and local goods daily, enriching Old Town with another spot to experience thoughtfully and sustainably crafted treats.

This Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Austin Lammers: Let’s start at the beginning! When did you first develop an interest in baking?

Christie Rich: I originally was working as a line cook at a country club up in Wyoming. As a kid, I baked and cooked with my mom, so I’ve always had that interest – we made basic breads, like white and wheat, but I still didn’t know a ton. The country club bought their desserts and breads from elsewhere, so one day I was like ‘you know…. let’s try making some.’ Next thing you know, I’m making everything, and I’m thinking ‘what did I get myself into? ‘

Over time, I realized, like, this is really cool. I liked it more than being a line cook. I saw a job pop up for a baker at a local bistro, applied, and got it. Little did I know the bistro was opening into a big snazzy restaurant – it went from a 10-table restaurant to this neat swanky place. They had a little wine/cheese/ bread shop attached to the restaurant, so I was responsible for making all their breads and desserts. It was like a mini bakery. Over the next eight years, I became a pastry chef. I loved it.

While I was there, my boss asked me if I had ever worked a farmers market. There was one starting up in a small town called Sheridan and they closed a street downtown on Thursday nights. So I did it, and I would sell out before the market even started. It was ridiculous. After a month or so, he was like ‘you should just take that over, that should be your thing.’ And I was like ‘cool!’ I got paid good money, I was out in the community, I got to meet other people making stuff, and I really fell in love with the market. That was, geez, probably 16 years ago. My son, Micah, was a month old at his very first market and I kept him under the table.

We moved to Fort Collins in 2015 and I decided to make a go at it, selling bread at farmers markets. It was a little struggle at first. I started out of my home and there was a lot more competition. It wasn’t like how I’d experienced other markets, where I’d sell out in an hour or so. People had to get to know me and they were loyal to their other breadmakers. It took a while to get things going, but once it did, it really caught on. The more people tried the bread, the more they came back, and it got to the point again where I’d sell out in a half-an-hour. I was like ‘oh my gosh. It’s a four-hour market. I could totally be selling way more.’

Two years ago I took the plunge and rented a commissary kitchen with two ovens. Then COVID hit. All the winter markets were canceled. And that was my income – I was like ‘what am I gonna do?’ So I started doing delivery, and I started Rootz Market, which was like an online farmers market. I kept that up but reached a point where I wasn’t getting enough time in the commissary.

AL: When did you decide that you needed a space of your own?

CR: Shortly after that, I had people interested in wholesale accounts and stuff like that. Commissary kitchens are super expensive and I realized I could have my own place for just a little bit more than what I was paying there. So I started looking for a small kitchen, just a place to bake. I didn’t think about having a full-blown bakery. But I found this space and was like ‘oh my god, it’s perfect.’ I walked in and I’m like ‘that's where we're gonna make the bread and the pies, and everybody can watch and it'll be so cool.’ Never in a million years did I think I’d be able to get in because there’s so much you have to go through. But I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring. And then I had the chance to sign the lease and was like ‘damn, this is happening.’ With the codes and permits and everything, it was a long journey getting this place up and running, but it was all worth it.

AL: What are some things you noticed during the transition from a commissary kitchen to this space?

CR: I noticed that it was awesome! I don’t have to worry about time constraints or owners or not being able to do this or that. It’s my space and I can do what I want – within reason (laughs) – within the walls. I also noticed that there are a lot of people that don’t go to farmers markets, but those that do are very loyal to the market. I had this idea that market-goers would be coming here all the time. I’ve learned they’d rather go to the market and see me there, since it’s like grocery shopping for them. Which is totally fine – I will definitely still be going to the market. But I had to shift gears. Like, how do I reach people who don’t go to the market? A lot of people can’t make it because they’re at work or taking their kids to soccer or doing stuff on the weekend, which I think is going to be great for ReKaivery. However, I do have a lot of people that come from the markets who’ve realized they can come get bread anytime they want. It’s kinda cool for them, ya know?

AL: What’s your best-selling item?

CR: Just the plain ol’ sourdough. I think it's an easy thing for people to use, and it’s the cheapest bread, and it’s a good starter bread. Like, ‘alright, I'm gonna try this one’ and then they usually they come back – ‘oh, my god, that was amazing. I’ll try it all now.’

AL: What’s your favorite thing to make?

CR: I like making bread. It used to be pies, but once you make 100 pies at a time you’re like ‘ugh I just want to be done.’

AL: How often do you experiment?

CR: I experimented a lot when I first opened, just trying to find what would work best. I found that blueberry muffins were the muffin everybody wanted. So I did a bunch, and it was too much, and I had to dial that down a bit. You just throw things out and see what happens.

AL: How's traffic been since you opened?

CR: Pretty good! We opened the day before Thanksgiving and that was crazy. The Coloradoan just wrote an article on us and I learned that people do in fact read the paper. Business has doubled since then. It was nuts. I hear it all the time – ‘no one reads the paper anymore…’ Oh yes they do!

AL: Looking at the local food community as a whole, how has it changed since you started doing your thing back in 2015? Has it evolved in certain ways? Is it lacking in others?

CR: I’m on the board of the Fort Collins Farmers Market on Harmony, and I can tell you numbers have skyrocketed since COVID. I think people realized the food chain isn’t always reliable and that they’re able to get food from local producers. I felt like that had a huge impact on people. Visitors doubled in 2021, and they already brought in a lot.

I feel like Fort Collins is very supportive of local producers. The Cottage Foods Act has made it fairly easy to get started. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if it wasn’t for that. There’s no way I would’ve had the money to go out and rent a space unless I already had customers. With that, you can see if it’s actually going to work instead of just renting a place and hoping for the best. If you’re at home, where you’re already paying rent or a mortgage, all you basically have to do is ensure your foods are safe. Ultimately, nobody wants to kill their customers and you want people to come back, so you’re going to be careful.

I fully support local here in the bakery. I have local coffee ready every morning. I use local safflower oil in my baking. I try to have my vendor friends in here all the time. Every week someone comes in like ‘oh, maybe my stuff would sell okay on your wall.’ I was talking to a lady yesterday that makes cards. A guy in Loveland makes those coffee cups. Stuff like that, ya know? I feel like eventually, it’s gonna be all these local people in here, which would be awesome.

AL: How old is your son?

CR: Micah’s 16. He’s in here all the time.

AL: What’s it like working with him?

CR: It’s awesome. He’s becoming quite the baker. He usually makes all the dough, which frees me up to do other things I need to be doing. He’s learning to bake as well. Baking is tough, though. It gets crazy. I have three decks, which is 54 loaves of bread to keep an eye on, plus another oven that’s making pies, cookies, muffins, quiche, all that stuff in the morning. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’d take two or three people to do my job.

But it’s their ritual: he and his friends will go skate at Northside and then come here and eat leftover cinnamon rolls and stuff. I tell them: “You know, you guys will always remember this. You’ll be like ‘hey, Micah, remember when we used to hang out at your mom’s bakery?’”