How it all began
It was not long before the pandemic that my infatuation – no – obsession with baking really bloomed. I’ve always loved food. Good food. And cooking. Before joining the army in 2011 I had worked in a couple of restaurants in Dallas. One in particular – Yum Yum restaurant (more on that in a bit) really sparked my interest. Fast forward a decade or so – a couple of restaurants, some time in Junior College, a marriage, a child and a stint in the Army later and I was sitting in Fairbanks, wondering what a disabled Vet and single-dad with a young daughter would do next. I didn’t necessarily know the answer to that question, but I thought we should at least have great tasting food while I figured it out.
Bread: I had tasted some pretty good bread in my day – lots of kinds of fresh baked breads. On one particular night I was preparing a meal for my family. I thought “I’d really like to have some fresh, savory bread to go with this meal”. And that’s when my trip through the rabbit hole took off.
How many kinds of Sourdough are there?
Research on bread-making was enlightening. As I did more I was presented with “traditional” yeast-based breads as well as “no packaged yeast required” sourdough variants. It soon became clear that on top of some health and nutritional benefits, sourdough was a superior form of bread all around, and infinitely flexible.
At first it was artisan loaves to which I added some savory ingredients that I thought would a) taste great and b) compliment the meals I was planning. What I quickly learned is that there are almost zero breads that cannot also be made utilizing sourdough. I have made a plethora of artisan loaves with different grains, different sweet and savory components and different starters. It seems there is literally no end to the variety available to a sourdough baker. I was getting more excited by the day.
The possibilities are literally limitless. Sourdough pretzels? – no problem. Pizza dough? Check. Baguettes? Absolutely! How about brownies, or banana bread? You bet! Focaccia, ciabatta, English muffins, biscuits, donuts, tortillas, pita, bread bowls; even a sourdough-based fully loaded baked potato bread – I have made them all. And I can’t wait for you to try some!
Why Yum Yum?
When I was in high school I worked in a Greek / Mediterranean restaurant in Richardson, TX called Yum Yum. It was run by one of the nicest people I have ever known who simply goes by “Mr. Mike”. Mike is a Lebanese chef who had migrated to the US some years earlier. His insistence on quality, freshness and perfection in everything he did (and had me do) in the kitchen was an important building block. Yum Yum was a small restaurant; which means that I was literally exposed to or directly involved in every nuance of his operation. This “origin story” most likely would not have happened without Mr. Mike.
Fast forward a few years – Mr. Mike had closed Yum Yum, I had joined the army, gotten married, had a daughter, gotten out of the army, gotten a divorce and moved a few times, lastly (thanks to Uncle Sam), to Fairbanks. Suffice to say – Mr. Mike and I had lost touch. Being the small world that it is fate would intervene to bring us back together, if only briefly.
My dad (among other things) was a professional photographer in Dallas, TX. One of the agencies he worked for sent him to restaurants all over North Texas to take photos for GrubHub, UberEats, etc. It was at one of these restaurants in Carrollton, TX that he thought he heard a familiar voice in the kitchen. When Mr. Mike emerged with the first dish to be photographed “old home week” began. They had not been talking long when my dad called me letting me know “who he had found” and handed the phone to Mr. Mike. It was not a terribly lengthy conversation, but we covered a lot of ground.
The long and short of the call was that I let Mr. Mike know I had grown deeply in love with baking and intended to open a bakery some day. That’s when it hit me. I told Mr. Mike it would make me proud and that, if he did not mind, I would call my bakery Yum Yum Bakery in honor of the foundation he had laid all those years ago. Mike was ecstatic to hear about the impact he had had and enthusiastically encouraged me to pursue my dream.
In November of 2020 I got to return to Dallas to visit my dad and brother. Of course I also made time to see Mr. Mike and eat his great food (including some incredible fresh pita) once more. And here we are today; Yum Yum Bakery – my home-based labor of love (and hopefully an occasional profit) – is alive!