Custom bakery pops up at Bold Rock
SWEET IDEA
Bakery owner Jackie Rowley offers pick-up treats at local brewery.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
When most of us think of snacks at a cidery or brewery, we usually think salty: pretzels, peanuts, popcorn. Or maybe spicy, like chicken wings or jalapeño-laden nachos.
But what about sweets? A hard cider with a cupcake, for instance, is really an ideal fit: crisp and sweet. 3 Eggs Cakery owner Jackie Rowley liked the idea, as well, and has launched The Sweet Stop by 3EC— a pop-up dessert shop in a food truck — to provide just that.
“I actually have a commercial kitchen in Fletcher,” she says. “But I do not have a storefront, nor do I want one.”
Seasonal goodies are part of the appeal.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
After getting her degree in fine arts, Rowley fell in love with cooking as a way to indulge her creativity and spin a side hustle as a stay-at-home mom. “I just love being able to create edible art,” she says. “I’m a self-taught baker, and I’ve always experimented with baking. But I’d bake cakes for my kids, and I noticed that people were starting to realize that I was sculpting these cakes and that there was something kind of different about them.”
She spun that penchant for pastries into a career as a baker, specializing in fun, custom cakes and assorted sweets for weddings, birthdays, and any other function that demands sweets as celebration.
Who can say no to cookie sandwiches with icing in the middle?
Photo by Rachel Pressley
While the cake company allowed her to work from home while her children were young, now that her last little one is off to school, she’s seeing more opportunities. That’s when she started looking into opening a food truck for pop-up events. It was the opportunity to expand what she makes and find an eager customer base without the responsibility of running a brick-and-mortar storefront. (It also provides a pick-up point for her custom orders.)
“I’ve been doing it one way for so long, but I think it might be time to take it up to another level.”
She says the idea of popping up at Bold Rock Mills River Cidery came from being there with her kids. “There’s ciders and beers for the adults, but my kids were always like, ‘Well, what about us?’” It’s no secret that most WNC breweries and cideries are kid friendly, some going as far as to install play areas and sandboxes. But most food trucks don’t offer much of a kids’ menu.
Photo by Rachel Pressley
“Asheville and Hendersonville are so family friendly at all of the breweries,” Rowley confirms, “but I felt like there was a need for something like a dessert truck for the kiddos. And I’m over here with a business that sells desserts and cakes and all that kind of stuff, so I decided to go out on a new venture.”
As with savory trucks, “[my] menu is always changing,” says Rowley. “I go by what’s good for the season.” Assorted cupcakes, apple pie or lemon cake with blueberry filling, trifle cups, and cookie sandwiches with icing in the middle flesh out the bulk of the offerings. But the Sweet Stop also makes gluten-free options like their Oreo squares. “They’re different. They have a brownie and taffy texture at the same time. They’re gluten free — but you could never tell.”
And Rowley doesn’t forget about the canines, either, selling treats for dogs like peanut-butter “puppy cups” and cookies sweetened with honey.
Currently the Sweet Stop pops up three nights a week at Bold Rock, but Rowley reveals that she has acquired another truck — and hopes to start popping up at other regional venues in the future.
The Sweet Stop by 3EC at Bold Rock Mills River Cidery is open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (72 Schoolhouse Road, Mills River, boldrock.com). Hours vary. For more information, call 828-585-7035, visit 3eggscakery.com, e-mail 3eggscakery@gmail.com, or see “Three Eggs Cakery of Asheville” on Facebook.
