Rising Stars: Meet Emilie Frances Foote of Pleasant View

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emilie Frances Foote. 

Hi Emilie, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I moved from France to Arizona in 2013 with my mom, without knowing what would happen for us. My parents had just got divorced and my mom didn’t want to stick around fearing to be judged – we come from a small town in south of France where everyone knows each other… I decided to follow as I had just lost my job (I was an optician back in France), was single with no kid. It was time for an adventure! We had relatives living in AZ and that’s where she had decided to go. 

We quickly met few people, and my mom found love at first sight. She got married less than 6 months after we arrived and was able to obtain her green card in no time. We had to find a way for me to stay legally, I was just starting to date my -today- husband but didn’t want to pressure him for anything, and I wanted to make it my own way. I partnered up with an older Italian guy and my step-dad to open a little business, a small Italian deli in Chandler, AZ that we run for almost 5 years from 2014 to 2019. 

Finally decided to get married and this time we were 100% it was for the good reason! 

I developed a passion for baking during those years, in addition of my love of cooking. I had always cooked for me, my family, and friends – I come from a family where we prep all of our meals, my dad is a sensational cook and my grandmother is the best home baker you’d ever meet. 

That was it, baking became my priority and my life goal. 

Shortly after we sold the business, I was lucky enough to become Chef Tamara Stanger pastry chef at her restaurant in Tempe, AZ – Cotton & Copper (now closed due to COVID) part-time, and she gave me carte blanche. I was able to bake anything I wanted in addition of all the bread used in her menu. That’s where I became obsessed with the Sourdough technique and all I wanted to do was keep baking and experimenting with it. I would prep a dessert of the day in addition to her incredible pies. I wanted to learn everything. 

Then I decided to look for a second job to complete my schedule and became a pastry cook at JL Pâtisserie, a high-end French pastry shop in Scottsdale, AZ – owned and run by Jenna Leurquin, a Belgian pastry chef who went to culinary school “le cordon bleu” in Paris and trained with the most famous and talented pastry chefs. Working with Jenna, I learned how to make croissants and all other pastries you can dream of. She is one of the most inspiring and hard-working women I’ve met with Tamara. I was living my dream! 

Then COVID hit – I lost my position at the restaurant and needed to make extra money, as my husband was furloughed from his job. So, I decided to start baking sourdough bread from home and quickly had a customer base from my previous business ordering weekly their loaves. I was working 6 days a week total and loved that lifestyle. The home bakery thing was really what I wanted. In the summer of 2020, my husband and I started to talk about moving out of State. Arizona is a beautiful but hot state, and being stuck inside was too much I could take. I needed nature, green, life, and more space. 

We traveled to TN because he had heard from a longtime friend it was a beautiful state and we were ready to go back to a more rural lifestyle. 

Before the end of the year, everything was all wrapped up. House was sold, our stuff was packed and we drove through the country from AZ to TN and arrived December 21st in Nashville where we rented a small condo to give us time to look for a house in the countryside. Considering the crazy real estate market, we were lucky to find a house we loved in no time and were able to move in at the end of January. That’s it! I have my separate room, my semiprofessional bread oven, a working table, a fridge, and some shelves to start my own home bakery dream! 

I was told by a couple of people to go check out “Little Gourmand”, a French pastry shop with two locations in Nashville. So, I did, and when I met Guenièvre the owner, she said it had been her 2021 goal to bring in bread… it was meant to be! I started baking for them in February. 

I randomly met Anna on Instagram, she reached out right away when she saw I was French and a baker. She owns all-natural products shop here in PV and was looking to bring more French products to her shelves as she is also French. We met and connected right away, and offered to host a pop-up sale every Saturday in her shop and now locals can come in and grab their sourdough baked goods from me. 

Finally, after posting in a group on Facebook, I was contacted by Erika, the owner of a yoga studio in Clarksville “Sanctuary on Main”. She was looking for local vendors to complement their brand-new coffee shop… The building is an old church that her and her partner completely renovated, and in addition to the amazing yoga space, they also host massage therapists, reiki master, and are showcasing small businesses. I go there every Wednesday with my baked goods for a pop-up sale as well. 

Et voilà! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have to admit it has been a pretty smooth road so far, it feels like it was my destiny and I am so lucky to have the most amazing and supportive husband. Of course, it’s not always easy but I am able to do what I love the most and I wouldn’t change anything about it. I am constantly looking for new things, new ideas, new flavors, new ingredients. I am able to bake pretty much what I want and people are loving it… it’s such a gift! 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in sourdough products. It’s a very challenging technique because so many parameters can change the dough and the final product, everything needs to be taken into consideration. Temperature, humidity, water… My main product is Loaves of bread, I work with different flours and inclusions. I have developed through time some formulas that became staples, like my whole wheat +’seeds loaf, or the spelt + oats sandwich loaf. 

I can’t forget about the sweet lovers so I also developed recipes like sourdough cinnamon rolls or sourdough Blueberry + lemon curd rolls that are definitely a good seller. I can’t pass on the French Brioche with is a very rich and buttery dough, like a soft cloud in your mouth. I use that dough to make my own version of pain au chocolat that I prep with imported Belgian chocolate bars. 

Sometime people have requests and I love to accommodate as much as I can! I love to hear from customers that a product brings some memories back to them. This makes my heart happy and gives me a purpose. 

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
In all honesty, I get a lot of inspiration from other bakers on Instagram. The lockdown and the excitement around the sourdough world brought so many talented people together! It’s so inspiring to see many other new bakers around bringing all these new ideas and flavors, it keeps pushing me forward in the game. Working from home, I listen to a lot of music. It is amazing to be able to have this freedom. I also love makeup – always had but really got into it in the last few months. I like to watch videos and learn new techniques and products. I don’t always have time to put some on every day but enjoy doing it. 

Pricing:

• Loaves of sourdough $12
• Sourdough cinnamon rolls $12
• Sourdough brioche pan $6
• Pains au lait $8
• French baguette $4

Contact Info:

• Email: Chefemilieaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: @chef_emilie