Tasty Pastry: More than a family bakery

Tasty Pastry: More than a family bakery
 TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat12:55 p.m. EST November 13, 2014

     (Photo: Dave Heller/Special to the Democrat )

     The fall weather couldn't have been more perfect. Children ran in and out of the brightly
     painted bakery and got their faces painted while playing with Batman and Spider Man
     characters.

     The children played as more than 200 people celebrated a milestone moment earlier this
     month when Tallahassee Mayor John Marks presented a proclamation declaring Nov. 1
     Tasty Pastry Day.

     Mark Cross, his three siblings and 82-year-old mother beamed with pride considering, after
     51 years in business, Tasty still brings something special as Tallahassee's oldest and only
     full-scale bakery.

     Cross is part of a second-generation of deft bakers — Debra Cross, the soft-spoken boss;
     Brenda O'Kelley, the cake artist; Michael Cross, the night owl manning production; and
     Mark, in charge of the books and financing.

Together they continue the legacy started by their late father, Mitchell Cross, a Navy man
who adored baking as much as he did his children.

Mark, 60, the lanky brother who jokes about being the self-titled "quality control" taster
eating a little something every day from Tasty's assortment, shared family stories while
sitting at a glass-top table. He was joined by Debbie and his mother, Hortencia Cross, a
spry 82-year-old, who still monitors supplies and offers a supervising eye.

"Mom likes to see us working," Mark said. "That's why she comes here every day to make
sure Debbie is still working and keeping up with the family tradition."

They all laughed.

Baking is in the bloodline

Hortencia is proud of her children, too. She said her husband, if still alive, would relish in
the Tasty Pastry legacy carried on by her children.

Mark remembers his father, who passed away in 1993, as a workhorse insisting on
meticulous attention to detail.

Their childhood is steeped in lessons on baking fundamentals and memories of going to
the bakery after school, washing dirty pans and mopping floors.

Mark began baking at age 14 under the watchful eye of their dad, who first learned to cook
along side his mother as a child in Vermont. His brother and sisters also were budding
bakers as children. When Mark or his siblings missed an ingredient or skimped on
presentation, they were forced to retreat to flour-sprinkled baking boards to try again.

They all eventually mastered baking. Mark is a Master Certified Baker and hospitality
professor at Florida State's Dedman School of Hospitality. Debbie, 54, is the nation's first
female Master Certified Baker.

They trumpet the patriarchal mantra that guides all aspects of Tasty Pasty today: If it isn't
done right, it isn't worth doing.

If something's off, Debbie asks employees, especially new ones, "Do you really want to
give this to a customer?" If the answer's no, she makes them start again — just like dad
used to do.

'The Tougher Times'

The iconic bakery has managed to weather competition as "in-store bakeries' saturate the
market with cheaper goods and breads at places like Publix, Wal-Mart and Costco. High-
end grocery stores, like Whole Foods, also have raised the ante.

Mark smiled as he recalled, "But our dad used to say, 'You can't be afraid of competition
when the competitors come in because competition only makes you better.'"

For 51 years, the family has risen to the challenge. And along the way, they had plenty of
them.

When Tasty first opened across from Bullwinkle's on the Tennessee Street Strip back in
1963, it faced fluctuating foot traffic when college students vacated on holiday and summer
breaks. This eventually forced the shop to relocate to its current northeast Market Street
location in the late 1970s.

Then came a sugar crisis in the 70s that sent the price of doing business soaring (the
bakery buys more than 1,000 pounds per week).

There where other obstacles to overcome as well. Fads like the carb-shaming Atkin's diet
made residents scale back on sweets. More recently the latest recession has taken its toll.

But Tasty Pastry is still standing, still serving.

Mark said the family had to adapt to what customers wanted, including popular gender-
reveal cakes for baby showers, in order to compete. Tasty started selling products so
parents could pop in and give a treat to teachers and administrators at the nearby Gilchrist
Elementary School.

'We make people happy'

Few local bakeries mimic its near 24-hour operation, pumping out cakes such as babka
(Polish coffee cake Mark's dad learned from an Italian baker in New York), New England
apple crumb cake and chocolate-chip cheesecake to flaky pastries and donuts.

And then there's the antique Hobart 60 quart mixer bought in 1963. It's still churning the
shop's famous dough.

Casseroles like cheese-topped Sheppard's Pie, chicken pot pie and quiches are comfort
foods for families on the go.

Mark's father was half Irish and French. His mother is Mexican. Mark, who appeared to
love talking about his family's roots, said the bakery's choice of recipes was a melting pot
that didn't reflect recipes being passed down within the family.

"Dad took the best ideas from all of the places he worked," he said.

And let's not forget about that home-made bread.

By 6 a.m., 40 percent of the bakery's revenue comes from warm bread bound for
restaurants like Hopkins Eatery, Merv's Melt Shop, Avenue Eat and Drink, Coosh's Bayou
Rouge and Andrew's Bar and Grill.

Most residents don't realize they're eating Tasty's bread when dining at some of
Tallahassee's sit-down restaurants. The idea of that, even to this day, fuels the siblings to
continue the Tasty legacy.

Mark's other sister, Brenda O'Kelley, remembers their father saying, "Not a lot of people
get to make anything anymore. We make something, and we make people happy."

'Business still booming'

A dozen or so trickled in during the early years. That was normal. More than 100 come in
daily now.

After the annual North Florida Fair — signaling the holiday season — between 500 to 600
customers per day swarm the shop for specialty cakes, treats and sugar cookies shaped
like turkeys and leafs.

"The reason to come in is because it's not just a bakery," said Maureen Jolly, a customer
for 20 years. "I know Debbie. I come in to say hi, you know. There's always a friendly face,
and they just greet you and make you feel so welcome."

Comments like that remind the siblings the shop has given generations a retreat from the
stresses of everyday life.

When he thinks of lessons learned from his father, Michael Cross said: "You have to want
to do it and you have to do it the best you can ... We pretty do much everything the old
fashioned way."

Brenda's 21-year-old son now works in the shop too, marking the start of the third
generation that will keep their parents' dream alive.

If you go

Tasty Pastry Bakery

Where: 1355 Market St. A5

Contact: 893-3752/ http://tastypastrybakery.com/

Hours: 6:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday - Saturday. Closed on Sundays.

Try Tasty's recipe for Shepherd's Pie

Use a 2- to 3-pound pot roast

Cook roast in oven with a little water in bottom of pan until internal temperature reads 145
degrees. Cool roast and cut it to 1/4 " cubes and put meat in sauce pan with the juice from
the meat, add salt, pepper and garlic to taste

Blanch 1 package frozen mixed vegetables and put in sauce pan.

Shred 1 jumbo carrot and add to pan.

4-5 medium potatoes cook and mash with milk and butter

Put meat mixture in casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes.

Top with 1 and half cups shredded cheddar cheese

Put in oven to melt cheese

Ingredients:

1 pot roast 2-3 pounds

1 package frozen mixed vegetables

1 jumbo carrot shredded

4-5 medium potatoes

1 and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese