Elizabeth Chambers believes her Bird Bakery success rises from a simple idea, interview
For many people, a cookie, cake, or dessert is more than the sum of its parts. The combination of flour, sugar, and butter is the foundation of many recipes. The difference between an amazing dessert and one that serves the purpose of comes down to the ingredients that cannot be folded into the bowl. For Elizabeth Chambers and Bird Bakery, it all focuses on connections made through food.
With locations in both the US and Grand Cayman, Elizabeth Chambers appreciates that there is more to a successful bakery brand than just a scrumptious sweet that no one else can replicate. Of course, a signature dish is vital, but it goes beyond a single dessert that sells out continuously.
During a recent conversation with Chambers, she revealed some secrets to her success. It is more having people line-up for one of her infamous treats. For her, it comes down to an important sentiment.
When asked about how home and heart flavor her recipes, Chambers said that everything that she does is about connection and people. Without those two elements, everything is irrelevant.
Chambers said, “we’re on this plant for a blip on the radar. I want to be around people, hear their stories. Our recipes are part of people’s weddings, baby showers, engagement parties, birthdays. We want to make those connections through what we do.”
Over the past decade, Chambers and her bakery brand has found their niche. While there are a few locations in select areas, it is more than just a brick-and-mortar store. It is about adapting to the community and giving them a taste of home no matter where they are from.
At the same time, Chambers understands that her brand needs to adapt to its environment. Chambers shared how when she started her bakery location in Dallas, she had to explain to customers that it was good to use mayonnaise in her dishes. It might not be the common ingredient in that area, but she encouraged people to taste it before judging.
While she might have stayed true to a few concepts through the years, Chambers knows that she and her brand can never be stagnant. She gave a great example.
At one of the Bird Bakery locations, she could never understand why her iconic banana pudding was not selling. As she said, “banana pudding is my love language. Who doesn’t want banana pudding.” One location wanted more brand muffins. When she adapted to what customers craved, the location thrived.
That willingness to adapt to each market has proved successful for Chambers and her brand. The willingness to listen is vital for any business, especially a food business to create a loyal following.
More importantly, Chambers appreciates that authenticity is vital to how she approaches her business. She said, “people can sense when something is inauthentic. That is how I do business. It could have failed miserably, but it hasn’t.”
“Being authentic does not guarantee success, but I am very grateful that it has. I stand behind something that is very much meaningful to me, where our recipes translate our stories. We are built on authenticity and I will never turn away from that.”
While Chambers understands that she needs to stand on her principles, it does not mean that every decision has been a perfect one. Choices that seemed right in the moment did not result in the success she had envisioned. Still, she appreciates that downs and ups are vital to the overall journey. One without the other is not possible.
Beyond the bottom line of dollars and cents success, another aspect drives Chambers and her Bird Bakery brand. It is about how food makes people feel. No one wants a business to be a vanity project or money pit, but she appreciates that the ultimate goal when a person eats one of her menu items is to make a real, tangible, emotional connection.
Chambers believes that quality, thoughtful food is achievable when a business owner chooses to prioritize those goals. She is clear, “I am not sacrificing the quality of our food.” It might sound silly, but she is going to use the same peanut butter that she used growing up. It might not be the most cost effective, but it delivers that taste which brings back a memory and evokes an emotion. To her, that sentiment has value that cannot be captured in a number in the bottom line.
For the person who has never enjoyed a treat from Bird Bakery, Elizabeth Chambers recommends ordering a piece of carrot cake. She said, “it embodies everything that we are as a company. It is the cake that my grandmother made for me every year when I was growing up. It is totally symbolic of how I approach running Bird Bakery.”
The next time that a craving for a taste, flavor, or treat that epitomizes what it means to be thoughtful and connected to food, it can be found at Bird Bakery. Elizabeth Chambers has folded her authenticity into every recipe and it keeps people coming back for more.