Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Schumacher.
Hi Caitlin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I always loved baking at home throughout my childhood and after college, decided to begin working in restaurant pastry. I thought I would try it out for a year or so, but totally fell in love with the food and bev world! I continued to work in restaurant pastry departments throughout my twenties in San Francisco, and then Charleston. I always aspired to be a business owner, and after COVID, I purchased a food truck from a friend. My dad agreed to come out of retirement and help me open a bagel and pastry business with the food truck. After four years, we found the perfect storefront location here on James Island!
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?
We have been fortunate to have a steady following and a lot of community support from the start. That being said, the truck presented some difficulties in maintenance, and then transitioning from the truck to a storefront was a learning curve as well! Expanding menu options, operating hours and staffing have been the biggest changes in opening the storefront.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Girl Nextdough ?
We are a family-run bakery on James Island that began as a food truck five years ago. We specialize in sourdough bagels, hand-crafted pastries and coffee. On our bagel menu, we offer classics like a Bacon Egg + Cheese, Lox and Turkey Club, but also have some unique combinations such as Butterbean Hummus + Confit Tomato and Ham Cam + Jam (sliced ham, camembert cheese, fig jam and arugula). On the pastry menu, we are known for our brioche doughnuts and croissants. The Nutella croissant is a personal favorite of mine! We make many other breakfast pastries, cookies and cakes, and have a variety of iced lattes and coffee drinks. We are proud to use local coffee roasters, eggs, sausage and various fruits on our menu. We are also proud of our commitment to quality – everything is made in house and baked fresh each morning!
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I hope to see people continue to support independently-owned businesses that focus on their craft and quality.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.girlnextdough.com
- Instagram: @girlnextdoughchs
- Facebook: Girl Nextdough
