We all have different ways of dealing with this pandemic stress. Some of us have turned our attention to gardening, some of us are going out for long runs, and some of us are having daily, solo dance parties and scrolling on Tik Tok too much (@me).
Brittany Adu, however, sought solace in her kitchen. She started baking treats as a way to destress, and now she’s steady whipping up goodies that have impressed plenty of peeps—so much that she’s taking over the Church Health commercial kitchen at Crosstown Concourse to keep those baked goods coming!
On July 7th, Adu launched Furloaved, a contactless bakery that is now serving the Memphis area. Currently, her menu features traditional Challah bread and avocado, blueberry muffins, and she’s been busy experimenting in the kitchen with a variety of new options that she hopes to add into the rotation.
“With not having a 9-5 anymore and having to watch out for my mother who is immunocompromised, there’s just a lot of stress—and I’ve used baking as a coping mechanism since I was younger,” Adu said. “When it feels like doing things is hard, I just whip up something for my fiancé, my friends, or friends of friends.”
And that’s just how Furloaved began. Adu was already known as the friend that could thrown down in the kitchen, so she took heed of the compliments that she was receiving, and realized she might be able to fulfill her dreams to own a bakery earlier than expected. But what would be included in her debut batch of baked goods? She’d seen other pandemic-prompted bakers giving sourdough bread a try, but as a nod to her future husband’s culture, she set forth to perfect her own Challah—a special bread in Jewish cuisine, usually braided and typically eaten on ceremonial occasions.
“It’s so amazing to watch the way these people describe how they make it because they talk about putting in good intentions into the bread for their families or whoever is going to eat it.”
“I’ve been following a lot of Jewish moms on YouTube, because I want to learn from the right people,” Adu said. They were making challah billions of years before I was even a blip on the universe, so I’m doing my very best to honor their work. It’s so amazing to watch the way these people describe how they make it because they talk about putting in good intentions into the bread for their families or whoever is going to eat it—and that’s something that I’ve made sure I stick to. My “blessings” may not be as spiritual, but it makes me feel so good inside to wish good health, a good day, or just some bomb sandwiches onto the people who are eating what I’ve made.”
As she’s setting those good intentions, she’s also setting her focus on making her menu more inclusive for people to enjoy—providing options for the plant-based peeps and dairy-free folks, and incorporating new goodies into the existing line-up.
“I’m playing around with alternative flours and milks, vegan substitutes, and sugar-free things. There will also be white bread, wheat bread, mini apple pies, and carrot cake on the horizon very soon.”
Launching a business during a pandemic is a feat in and of itself, but Adu has already set her eyes on the next prize. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing her at a local farmers market, opening a store-front, or launching a mini food truck one day—but until then we’ll be keeping an eye out for whatever treats she’s going to bless us with next.
