Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/691740
T om Owens and Ted Vogelman never intended to build a specialty food busi- ness. After nearly 15 years in the restaurant industry, the two fraternity broth- ers set their sights on opening a local bakery in San Diego, Calif. But by paying close attention to their customers, they landed on a winning recipe—and in doing so, pioneered one of the first specialty baking mixes to be sold commercially. Setting Out on Their Own Tom and Ted met at the University of Maryland in 1967. After college, Ted landed a job working as a general manager at a restaurant in San Diego. He asked Tom to join him there, and in 1975 they began managing restaurants together. After one too many late nights working for someone else's business, Tom and Ted decided to head out on their own. On the hunt for entrepreneurial ideas, a successful local bakery caught their eye. "It was a walk-up bakery that primarily sold cinnamon rolls," Tom, 66, recalls. "They'd pump the smell out and the lines went on forever." The cinnamon rolls were irresistible, and so was the business formula—so much so that the partners decided to model their new enterprise on it. In January 1987, the duo took a lease on a former shoe store in North Park, San Diego, and set about renovating the space. Sticky Fingers Bakery opened for business that May. "We thought we were going to make our stamp as a two-man operation and then eventually franchise it," Ted remembers. Perseverence, flexibility, and a winning scone recipe helped this duo pioneer the specialty baking mix category. BY OLIVIA KINGSLEY producer profle SUMMER 2016 125 Tom Owens and Ted Vogelman, Sticky Fingers Bakery Sticking with the Customer PHOTO: STICKY FINGERS BAKERIES