Baking For Business Podcast

#Ep 83 : Celebrating Sweets With James Beard Nominee- Renato Poliafito

• Chef Amanda Schonberg • Episode 83

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Ever wondered how a graphic designer morphs into a baking sensation? Join us as we chat with Renato, the mastermind behind the famed New York bakery Baked and the cozy Brooklyn cafe Ciao Gloria. Renato takes us on his unexpected journey from managing a coffee shop to co-founding Baked in 2005, where he honed his culinary skills and achieved remarkable milestones, including publishing cookbooks and launching products with major retailers. After parting ways with Baked in 2017, Renato opened Ciao Gloria, a unique blend of American and Italian baking traditions. Hear about his latest book, Dolci!, which offers an Italian twist on classic American desserts.

In this episode, we will cover:

  • The inspiration behind changing career paths
  • What inspired Renato to start his writing journey
  • What influences motivated his new cookbook and so much more

You can order Dolci! by clicking here 
You can follow Renato by clicking here 

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Speaker 1:

Hey, sweet friends, my name is Chef Schaumburg. I started my baking business with a bottle of DeSorono and one Bundt cake pan. Fast forward to today, from news to magazines, speaking on national stages and more. I can truly say that baking has changed my life. So now, as a bakery business coach, I get to help others have the same success. I've helped hundreds of my students across the world in my global membership program six-figure businesses, mainly from home.

Speaker 1:

The Baking for Business podcast is an extension of that, from actionable tips to valuable tools and resources that can impact you as a business owner. I truly believe y'all. We would never have been given a gift if we couldn't profit and prosper from it. So come on, darling. What are you waiting for?

Speaker 1:

Today's guest is a wealth of knowledge. Considering he never thought he would actually ever put on an apron. What started out as a career in graphic design, though, evolved into an amazing career in the baking industry. He co-founded the iconic New York bakery Baked, which has been featured by Oprah as well as Craftsy. He currently owns the cafe Chow Gloria, which is highly rated in New York as well, and has received press from places like the New York Times, eatery, bloomberg and more, not to mention that he's actually a James Beard Award nominated baker, with tons of books that he's put out. He's back with a new one, which is called Dolce. Dolce is all about bringing an Italian twist to classic American desserts, and today we're going to hear all about it. So, renato, welcome to the Baking for Business podcast.

Speaker 2:

Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. And so, for those who are just unfamiliar with you, how did you get started in the culinary industry? How did you start off your career?

Speaker 2:

Well, believe it or not, I kind of I fell into it. I used to be, I studied art in college and I fell into it. I used to be, um, I studied art in college and I was, uh, a designer when I graduated, um, and then I transitioned very early on, like I'd say, 19, actually learned 2001. I started dabbling in um kind of cafe management and operating kind of a coffee shop style business. A couple of years later I had a conversation with a friend of mine who later became my business partner. He wanted to open up a bakery but he wanted to kind of merge it with my coffee shop idea and that's how my first business, Baked, was born, and Baked opened in 2005.

Speaker 2:

Um, I, you know, worked tirelessly at that uh bakery for over a decade, I'd say about 13 years, and, um, it remember 12, 13 years and and you kind of learn trial by fire, I had never I'd only baked at home previously, uh, for friends and that sort of thing. So, uh, going from a home baker to a commercial baker, there's a huge gap, a huge learning curve. So I ran the front of house, I would jump into the kitchen when necessary and I kind of learned that way. So when you're surrounded by baked goods all day and you're surrounded by bakers and you're running a business, you tend to learn very, very quickly. Baked was a wonderful experience.

Speaker 2:

I wrote four cookbooks with them and I launched a line of granola, launched a line of bakeware, a line of mixes through William Sonoma and Sur La Table, and we opened up a location in Manhattan, as well as Tokyo, and I left Baked in 2017 and took some time off because if you're a business owner, you know that time off is a rarity and tried to figure out what my next steps would be and fortunately, I had an opportunity to open up another, my own cafe bakery in Prospect Heights, brooklyn. I found a great space, great rent. I had this concept of American and Italian kind of fusing together in a cafe, and that's how Ciao Gloria came about, and I've been doing that for five years now five years coming up this October and the book just came out a week ago.

Speaker 1:

Wow, that's awesome. So you definitely have an amazing background with just being around the industry. It's crazy because you said you didn't want to step in the kitchen, but you've done some amazing work in the kitchen, so I love that. And so, even though you have other cookbooks in regards to to Dolce, what was the source that inspired you to write Right? Sorry, I got to get this whole book in view because isn't it so cute with the gorgeous cover.

Speaker 2:

Look at that.

Speaker 1:

It's beautiful. So what inspired you to write this book?

Speaker 2:

Well, um, you know, we have so many great recipes at child Gloria, um, that you know I I love that kind of area where you can play with American and Italian and try to start fusing them together because, uh, italian American baking it it. You have a lot of things that come to mind. You have cannoli, sfogliatelle, rainbow cookies, all those classic Italian desserts that exist here, and some of them that actually only exist here and don't even exist in Italy, like the rainbow cookie. That's created by an Italian for an American audience. It never made its way back to Italy, but lots of things have come over here.

Speaker 2:

So, exploring that area and creating American desserts that may have a little bit of an Italian spin, like in the book I have, like a red velvet cake that has like some Italian flavor profiles in it, and so being able to say, oh, this is Italian, american baking, really kind of opens those doors. And that's what I did at Chow and that's what I wanted to do with this book. The book kind of came about just because, you know, I was talking to my agent and we were talking about how Italy, you know, is seemed to be having a resurgence, not only with tourism but with food and in culture, and and so we're, like you know, maybe this is a great time to kind of put that book together. I've had this idea in my head for years and so, you know, having Child Gloria and being able to kind of get this opportunity to write this book, it just seemed like a no brainer to me.

Speaker 1:

Did you have any obstacles in writing it? Was there any boo-boos, any miss-ups? You know you say red velvet and I'm a Southern girl, so I was over here looking for it. I was like, wait, I've got to find this picture.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it's, it's called the Veluto Rosso, which is red velvet in Italian, and it's a delicious, delicious cake. But yeah, I mean fortunately writing the book by by my fifth book I felt like I'm like, okay, I, this is a path well traveled for me at this point, so I know what to avoid and what the obstacles are. So I felt that it was generally easy to write. I also had a writing partner, casey Elsass, who is kind of like the go-to person to help you finish your cookbook, at least in Brooklyn, and you know he's helped a number of other kind of chefs and cooks and restaurateurs complete their book on tours, complete their book. He's absolutely amazing and he really kind of keeps you on a clear path with deadlines and helping out and assistance, so that you know the book comes out when it's supposed to and looks how it's supposed to and reads how it's supposed to. So working with him was fantastic.

Speaker 2:

But as far as like any anything else, I mean the biggest obstacle is running a business and writing a cookbook simultaneously. I mean it takes a very either sane or crazy person to. You know there's no in between writing a book. You know it's like it's a very time consuming thing. You have to, you know, know, writing a book, writing a cookbook, which is like a super scientific approach to cooking, uh, baking, um you know, you have to know what you're doing and you have to pay attention and you can't just like write. And you know things need to be tested, retested, tested again, tested in other kitchens, tested by other people. So it's a multi, multi-step process. It was an enjoyable process, don't get me wrong. I loved writing this book and I feel like it shows that there is a lot of love that went into it. But it takes a lot of time and a lot of effort.

Speaker 1:

You guys just want to show you a little sneak peek, but the book is filled with lots of beautiful imagery, storytelling, really just little author notes on the side that guide you through it. And so I want to take a step back, because you mentioned something and a lot of our viewers well, listeners, 99 percent of them are bakers and they are in the business and they do have a thought or an idea to do something different, be it a digital product, a cookbook to blog. But there is that fear. So can you kind of go back to maybe you're a couple books in now, but did you have anything that kind of threw up a red flag that was like I don't know if I want to share my recipes or to go from business owner to then cookbook author, or did you just always have a heart to serve and say, okay, I can do this, I don't mind sharing?

Speaker 2:

I mean, I think it's the latter. It's like I, I, you know, there's that little fear that someone's going to look at the book and replicate all your recipes and open up like down the block from you, you know.

Speaker 2:

So it's obviously it's a bit of an irrational fear because you know these recipes have been adjusted for a home baker they would have to take a pretty smart person or a very professional baker to kind of size them up and then, you know, do what you need to do to them to kind of like make them be a commercial product. But but yeah, I mean, with the baked books it was, it's just been something that I feel like is part of the experience. You know, it's like if you open up a business and people like your food enough to say, hey, we want these recipes, you give them the recipes you know it's like, and you have a book on your hands and I think that's you know, some parts of me is like writing a book Isn't like you're not going to become a millionaire, you're just, you've just will not, unless you're like a handful of people. But, um, you know it, I call a cookbook like kind of the best business card you could ever have, you know, because it's like it's something that's super tangible that you could show people. That is part of your brand.

Speaker 2:

Whatever your brand is, be it podcast, be it physical brick and mortar, whatever your brand is, be it podcast, be it physical brick and mortar, be it, you know, your TikTok or whatever, it's just something nice to kind of say, hey look, I did this and it's a reference guide and it's like it encapsulates a point in time as well. You know what I mean. It's like this book is out. It's been out for a week, but two years from now it'll be just as great, it'll be wonderful, but it'll symbolize a point in time that you had with your business and with your brand.

Speaker 1:

I love that. I love how you said it's an extension of your brand, which really is amazing. What is the takeaway that you would like people to get when they read Dolce? What is the takeaway?

Speaker 2:

that you would like people to get. When they read Dolce, I mean, I think you know in my, as from my heart, I guess I would want them to really connect to it. I mean, I cause I there are personal stories in there. They're honest stories, true stories. You know, everything is is basically spoken from the heart and even when I didn't have, like, a personal story about a certain recipe, I delve into the historical.

Speaker 2:

You know, I delve into, you know where this came from, or what I did to it, or what, where this, where this recipe originated from, or like what it's. It's. You know what it was a hundred years ago, what it was 200 years ago and what it is now. So I loved playing with the historical. I love history, I'm a bit of a history buff, so it was nice, that nice interplay of like okay, here's a funny anecdote, here's a little bit of history here's. You know, a great way to approach this recipe.

Speaker 2:

I just wanted it to be very well-rounded. I didn't want it to be like historical, historical, historical or just like. Hey, this entire book is about me, you know. I wanted it to really pique the interest of many different sense of photography. The photographer, kevin Miyazaki, did the studio shots and the location shots throughout Italy, traveled around Italy for a few weeks and took really, really beautiful photos. So I, you know, in the end I wanted it to be just as much as a cookbook, as a travel log, or something you would have on your coffee table to flip through, or something you would have on your kitchen counter. It could live in both places.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. I love that, and this is just another shot, you guys, of that beautiful imagery. Y'all know I love a good coffee cake as a Southerner, so I cannot wait to dive into this About how long did it take you to put Dolce together?

Speaker 2:

I'd say like start to finish, and that includes everything like rewrites and cover approvals and image selection, about a year. You know, we were a bit aggressive, casey and I, because we wanted the book to come out. Originally we wanted the book to come out in spring of 24. But we just kind of just missed the deadline just by a little and we gave ourselves a little more breathing room. So it came out in the summer. Um, but yeah, we, we wrote it, I would say, in six months, and then the other six months were like design and all that. So it was. It was a very fast, because I'm also the type of person where I was like oh, I'm taking on a new project, let's get this done as quickly as possible, because I have other things to do, you know. So I kind of really focus, try to get as much of it done as humanly possible and then move on to the next thing.

Speaker 1:

And you have some great mentions in here. Forwards from Joanne Chang, giada De Laurentntis yes which is amazing. Uh, nancy silverton, do you have any particular crushes or idols that you look up to in the baking world?

Speaker 2:

oh my gosh, I mean I, I have tons of crushes. I mean I love, I love, dory greens fan, I love, uh, inna Garten, I love, oh my gosh, lydia Bastianich. I mean these are all kind of like idols to me, but yeah, there's just so many that I, you know, I think they're all great, but I definitely for me to have those people kind of like sing praises for my book, it just I'm over the moon with that.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, and do you have a book tour coming up Any dates or will you be traveling with Dolce?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I mean I've done a couple of spots right now. I did Rizzoli books last week. I'm kind of keeping it a little like on the low side right now, simply because I'm actually simultaneously opening up a restaurant directly across the street from chow and because I wanted more to do actually. Um, yeah, it's just timing, timing wise. It just I was like, oh well, everything's happening at the same time, so, um, I'm I'm kind of focusing on that, trying to get that kind of open and running, and then I will go back on tour in the fall, but before then, I think in August. So next month I'll be doing a little bit of a West Coast moment, hitting Seattle, san Francisco and LA, and then in the fall going to try to hit a few more places in the Northeast, trying to get to Chicago, maybe Minneapolis DC, boston, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1:

You're definitely busy, which which I was going to say. Well, what are your future plans? But after the book, but besides the tour, Sleeping, sleeping somewhere for a few weeks, I is the place I want to go to. Yeah, American baking with the Italian feel. And Renato. Before I let you go, though, I do want to thank you so much for sharing the book and just your story with us, but I also do want to play lightning round with you, so are you ready? Let's do it. Let's do it. What is your favorite color?

Speaker 2:

My favorite color is blue.

Speaker 1:

Okay. What is a dessert you cannot live without?

Speaker 2:

oh my gosh, uh, blackout cake what yeah?

Speaker 1:

I love it's a good one yeah who is your celebrity crush? Oh uh, tina fey oh okay, and what is your favorite book?

Speaker 2:

my favorite book. Oh my god, that's a tough one. Does it have to be a cookbook or a regular book?

Speaker 1:

or you can give us one of each one of each, okay, favorite cookbook.

Speaker 2:

Um, oh my gosh.

Speaker 1:

Favorite cookbook would be cookbook um, oh my gosh favorite cookbook would be uh, I can't, I can't even think of one, I can't even think of one. It's dolce, y'all.

Speaker 2:

That's what he wants to say it's my own book and then my regular book. I, you know, I love anything by david sadaris. You know, david sadaris the the writer. I I mean anything he does I absolutely love lastly, what is your favorite kitchen utensil? Oh, it's so stupid. A rubber spatula.

Speaker 1:

No, that's a good one.

Speaker 2:

I love a rubber spatula. I also love an offset spatula the both of them but I mean a rubber one is just like yeah, my go to.

Speaker 1:

That's awesome. From the bottom of my little Southern heart, Renato, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your book and journey with us today. I know that everyone listening will greatly appreciate it and it was wonderful to hear more directly from you.

Speaker 2:

Thank you so much. It was a pleasure Thank you friends.

Speaker 1:

So how amazing was that. I hope Renato's story inspired you and one of the takeaways that I got from it. We all do baking. We all love baking but just the fact of just really showing up and putting your heritage, your twist, your spin on things that you love and that's what the book Dolce is all about. Too often we may want to follow trends or we see someone else doing something and we're like, ok, I should do that, but when you really just stay true to who you are, it makes the growth that much more easier and smoother.

Speaker 1:

Bernardo has a lot of things going on with this amazing cafe and building another one across the street, but he also has an amazing team and staff that works with him, and so I know not everyone listens as a home baker. Some of you guys have a food truck, some of you guys have brick and mortar businesses, and so just let this encourage you that you can step away and do something else. You know you can write that cookbook, you can do that digital product, you can step into another realm and expand your bakery brand. When you're ready, all right. Evolution is something that all of us should accept and should be willing to look forward to, because every single time we evolve as a person, we evolve as a business owner, it just makes us hungry to go to the next level, because really it's just you versus you. And each and every single one of his books gets better and better with time as he continues to grow his esteemed brand in New York.

Speaker 1:

From the bottom of my heart, thank you guys. So much for tuning in. I hope today's episode inspired you. Be sure to check out Renato's book and all his information in the show notes and, as always, take care and bye for now, thank you.