I marvel how often things come full circle. The more I tell my story, the more I’ve realized how everything is connected—and how, in hindsight, everything seems to have been my destiny. Here’s some reflection on how connections are interwoven.
AMIE Académie has become a cornerstone of our business and an integral path of connection within our community. In 2023, classes grew exponentially featuring industry-leading guest chefs, tastings, and special events. However, one chef has been a constant face at the Académie, Paul Ritchie.
Read MoreI found this in the Boston Globe many years ago. In a twist of fate, Margie Huggard of Osterville's Margo’s, introduced me to her friend Julie Riven during an event at her store. I’ve been making this cake for years, and as it turned out, it was one of Julie’s mother’s recipes that she published in the Globe. I thought it was such a great small-world story.
Read MoreWhenever I think of pastry being miraculous, the one dessert that always comes to mind is Gateaux Pithivier (pronounced pee-tee-vee-ay). While I was attending classes at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, this special pastry was part of the curriculum.
Read MoreIt all began with endless hours of watching Julia Child on PBS. No matter how much my mother tried, it was impossible to pull me away from our television. I was mesmerized. Everything looked delicious, and the fact is, we had unsophisticated palates so I didn’t even know of the food she prepared let alone tasted it. What resonated most was her ability to make cooking accessible to everyone — and I feel the same way about baking.
Read MoreQuite often, my close friends ask me, “So Amie, tell us. What’s one of your secret ingredients?”
They are absolutely stunned with my answer: mayonnaise.
Using mayo as a key ingredient may sound unusual for us over on the East coast, but it’s actually a pantry staple for many in the South. Mayo adds a richness and moistness to any dish from savory items like fish to sweet chocolate cake. Yes, I said chocolate cake.
So where did mayo and I become so acquainted? My mother’s side of the family is from a tiny town called Montezuma, Georgia, and I spent a good amount of time there during my childhood. I had a boring palate then, but there was a constant flow of traditional southern specialties that crossed the dinner table: ham and eggs, boiled peanuts, vidalia onion (so sweet my uncle ate ‘em like apples--yes, the same uncle that ate chicken livers for breakfast), collard greens, black-eyed peas (sorry, still can’t love these), brunswick stew, ribs, cornbread, biscuits and gravy, barbecue, fried chicken, grits, hush puppies, sweet potato pie, Divinity at Christmastime, corn-, peach-, or pecan-anything (and pecans no less from the tree in their yard--something grandpa always shipped us up north each year).
Oh, and no surprise, my bologna sandwiches always had mayo on it (still true today).
When I need a food hug, I make bologna with mayo on white bread. That about puts me back to a sunny day at elementary school eating my sandwich from my lunchbox. I have to admit though that watching my uncle eat chicken livers for breakfast was unappealing--and that probably may be one of the reasons you wouldn’t label me a true southerner. Then I grew up. And opening the bakery keeps bringing waves of nostalgia. I miss those carefree days, but I can travel back to moments in time through food.
And more than that, there’s a warmth to Southern hospitality. There’s just nothing like being greeted when you’re down South and every goodbye has “Y’all come back now, ya hear?” You see, there’s a certain warmth and ambiance attached to the South. You are welcomed, paid attention to, taken care of, and leave happy (and full).
I’ve always strived to embrace my Southern roots in both my baking and business style. At AMIE Bakery, we try to impart a bit of that southern charm, northern style. Our joy comes from watching people come in with smiles and leave with bigger ones. We want our customers, who we think of as our friends, to experience that same hospitality. We work hard to create a reminiscent neighborhood bakery where, even if just for a moment, you feel like you’re sitting around a dinner table with family and old friends.
AMIE is a small, specialty bakery that likes to think of itself as our town’s kitchen. The only thing we enjoy more than baking for our neighbors is spending time with them. We make everything from scratch and in small batches, using local ingredients from artisans who, like us, are passionate about what they do. From traditional pastries and classic breakfast and lunch items to our ever-changing selection of latest dessert trends—we serve up food people love, in a place no one wants to leave.
We believe that taste is an emotion, good food is essential, and an oven can warm a community. When we’e not baking in the kitchen, we’re teaching recreational cooking and baking classes in our AMIE Academie classroom.
AMIE SMITH, owner of AMIE® Bakery, is a chef, writer, and visionary. Originally from Wayne, New Jersey, Amie studied speech communication and journalism at Northeastern University, where she later returned to teach. She began her steadfast corporate career, growing a network of meaningful connections as a high-tech consultant. In her spare time she traveled and attended cooking and baking classes all over the world. After attending pastry school at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, a lifelong love for baking was realized and she reinvented herself mid-career. She spent the following 5 years creating her brand before opening AMIE Bakery in 2014. She teaches recreational cooking and baking classes at her flagship location, home of AMIE Académie. On the blog, enjoy entrepreneurship stories, recipes, and lessons learned as she pens her debut novel.
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