Meet Amanda Bradford | Executive Chef and Owner

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

Hi Amanda, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I always call myself a calculated risk taker. I think you have to jump off and take the risk at some point or you will never know what kind of things you are truly capable of. I think it goes hand in hand with the saying “Don’t stay in your comfort zone, nothing grows there” you have to make yourself a little uncomfortable to grow and change and evolve and also to test your limits.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The culinary industry is all I have ever known and I have had the bug since I was very young. I got my first job at 15 and along the way fell in love with the art of pastry. It definitely was not an easy road to get here, it was a lot of long days and burning the candle at both ends but my passion and determination to learn all I could motivated me to put in the time and effort. I used to get with the chefs at school and do extra projects before and after class, I interned and shadowed whoever I could meet and tried to make as many connections as possible. When I was a full time pastry chef I also worked on a team who did the Dalai Llama’s 80th birthday cake and that was the most amazing experience. I learned so much from our amazing leader, Chef Johnson and getting to meet the Dalai Llama was definitely a plus. All of that translated into my own brand because every cake or product that comes out of my kitchen is truly made with love and passion and I sincerely want the best for all my clients for their events.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Big D has definitely come a long way culinarily and it is still on the rise. I would definitely take my best friend to Armor Coffee in Allen, I love that it is veteran owned and the quality of the coffee is amazing, I would also go to their new brewery, their food is absolutely amazing!

We would spend the week eating as we love to try new things and explore new places to keep those creative juices flowing, I would also take her to Middleton moth in Dallas, they have a great selection of wine as well as delicious food.

I would also take her to Legacy Hall to get a taste of a little bit of everything!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have been so blessed to have amazing mentors and friends along the way in my journey. I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my 2 best friends Shawna Foster and Jonathan Gonzales, “The Wolfpack”. Thank you guys so much for always showing up with so much love and support and being there to push me along the way!

Website: www.bradfordbakery.com

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/100437575205057

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/IIVBOmQCCvHzXLAL7L3Uyw