Meet Amanda Bradford | Executive Chef and Owner of Bradford Bakery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Bradford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I firmly believe that you have to take risks to reach some level of success in life and career. I would consider myself a calculated risk taker but if I hadn’t made some of the risks that I did, it would not have led me to where I am today.

Some of the risks I have taken in life have led me to my biggest blessings such as meeting my husband and having my daughter.

In my career I have always been one to work hard to get to the next level and have pushed myself out of my comfort zone with the mindset that nothing grows there. even though it has made me uncomfortable, it led me to being on the Team that did the Dalai Llama’s birthday, the youngest executive chef in the company I worked for and many other opportunities along the way. I packed up my life 2 years ago and move half way across the country from California to Texas for a new job to a city and state I had never been to. in doing so I met so many people that were able to help me on my path that eventually led to me being able to leave my restaurant job and work for myself full time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I got my first restaurant job at 15. I never planned on staying in the restaurant business but when I was in high school I started baking a lot and a friend asked me if I had ever thought about culinary school. I said no but was so bored in business school I knew I wanted to do something else. I went to an open house and from the moment I stepped in the door, I knew that was what I wanted to do with my career. I worked every event, stayed after class to learn from the chefs and gave myself exposure to multiple facets of the culinary world. I was even on the team that did the Dalai Llama’s 80th birthday cake. I was always looking for the next opportunity to learn something new. I was always ahead of the kids in my class because I got an internship early on learning everything before we learned it in school.

it hasn’t been an easy road. During my internship at one point the chef pushed me so hard that I wanted to quit but i knew i was faced with 2 choices, use it as fuel for my fire to prove him wrong or give up and I chose to work hard and came out on top. working in industry has posed its challenges as well. being in charge of people older than me, always keeping up on the latest trends and staffing issues has helped me navigate almost every problem and think quickly for creative solutions.

i think what sets me apart is my unwillingness to fail and my emotional intelligence. i have always been a leader and chef that people can trust because i treat people they way they deserve with respect and love and am always willing to teach them and invest in their skills. I have taken that mentality and practice into my own business by treating every client as if they were my only client and really putting the personal touches my pastries and cooking classes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Dallas is up and coming in the food scene. If my best friend was visiting we would want to eat all the good food. I would for sure take her to The Salty Donut for breakfast, Resident Taco for lunch and The Manhattan Project for their amazing fried chicken for dinner. we would explore downtown and eat at meddleston moth. I would take her to a few of my favorite spots like the Dallas Arboretum and Northpark mall. we would take a few classes at soul cycle, get coffee at drip and maybe go get a facial at Face Haus with a juice from our favorite juice place from back home in Cali, Pressed in Dallas Preston Royal Shopping Center.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I worked for a company named Tendergreens in California as a pastry chef in 2014. Later that year, we got a new executive chef, Tara Johnson, who walked in the first day and upon meeting me, told me “you are made for more”. She had spent literally 5 seconds with me and knew that I had the internal drive to be the best at wherever m career was going to get me but was held back because I was shy. She took me under her wing and in a short span of 2 years, I became an executive chef. She pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me how to be a leader. she invested in me not only as an employee but as a person and has really had an influence in my leadership style and thought process.

Website: https://bradfordbakery.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradfordbakeryco/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-bradford-7771261ba/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bradfordbakery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bradfordbakeryco/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bradford-bakery-dallas

Image Credits
i have the rights to the photos