Lauren French says she taught herself to bake out of necessity.
“I was the youngest of four girls, and by the time I came around, my mom was tired,” she says with a laugh.
“She didn’t want to cook - and she could not bake whatsoever.
“I wanted to have homemade cakes and cookies and all those fun things, but I didn’t have anyone to bake it for me. I was lucky that it came naturallyfor me - but I never in a million years considered it as a career option.”
Never, that is, until she lost her job in corporate communications. Then French’s family encouraged her to turn her avocation into a vocation and go to pastry school. She graduated from the program at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in 2010, worked at several bakeries around Fayetteville, and just about two months ago opened Lo’s Sweet Treats and Other Eats in a food truck at the “Yacht Club” on North College Avenue.
“It’s terrifying every day,” French admits about starting a business. But because “mobile vendors” are issued three-month permits, “at the very most I’m risking threemonths. I didn’t have to invest multiple thousands of dollars in a building, I didn’t have to pay huge utility deposits, and the truck pretty much came equipped.
“It’s a great incubator for a small business to see if it can work.”
That doesn’t mean it’s been all chocolate chips and buttercream for the entrepreneur.
“Summer is a challenge with the students gone home, and it’s hot out,” she says. Right now, she’s baking at night to keep the heat in her food truck down, and she’s just changed her hours to stay open until 8 p.m., when she hopes customers will want to stop by for a piece of pie and a seat on the deck.
The food truck also offers sandwiches throughout its business day, another necessity, French says, to serve people who want lunch and dessert.
They’ve turned out to be “more popular than I ever expected,” she says, with favorite selections including bacon, lettuce and tomato; chicken bacon ranch; and caprese with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil.
Prices for desserts run$2.50 to $4, French says, and sandwiches are $5 to $7. On selected days, any sandwich and dessert combination is $9.75.
French has one sweet summertime treat that many customers seem to find irresistible - chocolate chip cookie sandwiches filled withice cream.
“I have regulars who come at least every other day to get one,” she says with a laugh.
The chef’s favorite pastry, however, is a cream puff.
“It’s light and airy and it has chocolate,” she says, “and you can’t go wrong with chocolate, in my opinion.”
Whats Up, Pages 17 on 06/28/2013