Community Highlights: Meet Darlene Marmolejo of Basil and Crumbs Sourdough

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darlene Marmolejo

Hi Darlene, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up I always had a love for baking and cooking. I remember as a little girl watching my mom and both of my , paternal and maternal, grandmothers cook dinner, and I was always so amazed. There is something so communal about food that makes cooking homemade meals a love language that knits relationships and communities together. As I got older, and became a wife and mom, my love for being in the kitchen grew exponentially. I love creating meals with quality ingredients that I know will nourish my family. Once I had children I really started to care about ingredients in our food and where our food comes from. I failed to find bread at the grocery store without an abundance of preservatives. So, that is when I decided to learn how to make bread. I started with commercial yeast and learned how to make standard sandwich loaves. This eventually led me to learn the benefits of sourdough, and in 2023 I created my own sourdough starter, Gertrude. Her and I together perfected the art of sourdough. I felt really led to share my passion of bread making with my community. In a world of mass production, I wanted to bring homemade bread back to family tables. Directly from the source-from the hands of small bakers. With lots of encouragement from family and friends I created Basil & Crumbs Sourdough Micro-Bakery. I bake a variety of sourdough loaves, cinnamon rolls, cookies, muffins, and scones. I am so blessed to be able to share my passion with my community! I sell bread out of in home bakery, and at farmers’ markets. Maybe one day I’ll have a brick and mortar! As an ingredient conscious mom of two, I failed to find bread and treats without an abundance of unnecessary ingredients. That is why my bakery is seed oil free, and mostly organic and non GMO. It’s something I’m passionate about in my home that extends into my little bakery. I am so happy to share this passion of mine with my community!

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?
Running a small business is definitely a learning curve. I definitely don’t have it all figured out. Most importantly, I am a mom first, and my household comes first. So finding that balance to run a successful small business and balance motherhood, simultaneously, has been a learning curve! Taking it day by day, and setting boundaries is important!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Basil & Crumbs is located in Goodlettsville TN, and offers a variety of freshly baked sourdough breads and baked goods. All of my sourdough breads are naturally leavened utilizing my own sourdough starter, Gertrude, that I cultivated in September 2023. This is what gives the bread a rise, a delicately soft interior, crispy exterior, and a sour or tangy flavor.

My sourdough bread is made with 3 simple ingredients. Organic flour, filtered water, and salt. These 3 ingredients make such a complex and beautiful loaf of bread that your whole family will love.

The ingredients I source are mainly organic and non-GMO. It is something I’m passionate about in my home that extends into my baked goods. Using quality ingredients is something I value.

My baked goods are available through pre-order and then picked up from the front porch of my in home micro-bakery on a grab and go basis. I will also be at Goodlettsville Farmers market this spring! You can follow along on Instagram @basilandcrumbs and keep up to date with my porch pickups and farmer markets!

Any big plans?
One day I would absolutely love to open a brick and mortar focusing on sourdough baked goods and delicious coffee!

Pricing:

• Organic Sourdough Bread $11
• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies $14
• Sourdough Scones $12
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls $20

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hotplate.com/basilandcrumbs
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basilandcrumbs?igsh=MTZkMDY5cmwwbGp2aA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr