Meet Reece Scelfo of Brady’s Bakery in Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reece Scelfo.

Reece, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Brady’s Bakery started in 2015 as a hobby of mine when one day I called in sick to my corporate entertainment job and, to make myself feel better, I decided to try and bake a cake from scratch. I was living in West Hollywood at the time and so I walked up to the grocery store to buy all the ingredients. I came back to the apartment, got a fork and cereal bowl, and went at it. I made a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting: my favorite cake to eat. It was absolutely terrible, but I loved getting creative and dirty with my hands, so I spent every weekend and spare moment perfecting my style of baking. Cakes turned to cupcakes, cupcakes turned to cookies, and then my innocent hobby turned into a fast growing business. We’ve also incorporated bread pudding into our menu, which is a fun and unique twist to our offerings. I take my inspiration from my mother, who always baked (and still does) for me and my sisters growing up. I’m also inspired by the culinary world of New York City, where I lived for six years, and now of course Los Angeles. A year and a half ago, I took the plunge and left my corporate job and have been working on the bakery full time since then. Our philosophy is simple: indulge yourself. Live your life. Eat more cookies.

Has it been a smooth road?
Not at all. Though I will say it’s been a smooth chaos. Meaning any business you start from scratch will have its bumps, undoubtedly. The first struggle was perfecting the recipes. I didn’t take from any family recipes or borrow from any baking blog. Rather, I wanted to create my own. Secondly, I had to balance a growing passion for baking with my full-time corporate job. One was feeding my bank account, while the other fed my soul. Thirdly: everything else in between. Owning my own business has been a crash course in getting an MBA. I’m confident I can go into nearly any corporate job now and tackle it ferociously. I’m head of development, marketing, social media, accounts payables, accounts receivables, operations, logistics, public relations, bookkeeping, inventory, production, etc. etc. etc. Perhaps learning to prioritize the day to day minutiae while not losing sight of the big picture and overall trajectory has been the biggest learning curve.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are an online bakery nestled in Glendale (though we’re about to open our new kitchen next to USC in DTLA!) offering a wide array of cookies and bread pudding with flavors ranging from the classic to the unique. We are constantly creating new ideas and updating our menu to reflect what inspires us and tickles our fancy. All of our desserts are handcrafted – literally (each dough ball is hand-rolled) – and made to order in small batches to ensure the highest quality. We steer clear of the artificial stuff and source local ingredients wherever possible. Perhaps what I’m proud of most is standing by our belief that everyone should be able to reward and indulge themselves with good food. Living in Los Angeles exposes you to many dietary restrictions, allergies, sensitivities, eating habits, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, soy-free, grain-free, etc. etc. etc. And while the pursuit of those types of diets is all good and well, we haven’t given in to the pressure to become a bakery that we don’t want to be. We believe in the quality of our product and stand by our offerings. In addition to that, our attention to one on one customer service keeps our regulars coming back, and new folks coming through the door (or, er, website rather).

Re: online bakery, many people ask “what does that mean?”: it just means we’re not a storefront, but we’re a virtual store. Folks can visit our website or give us a call to place an order. They can either opt to pick up at the Glendale kitchen, have local delivery within LA, or have it shipped via UPS.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Los Angeles is ripening with an amazing culinary universe. And, from what I’ve experienced, the food community is incredibly supportive of others. For anyone who wants to take part in it: believe in yourself, believe in what you do, and go for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bradysbakery.com
• Phone: 818-839-1032
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradysbakery/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheattreatbybrady/
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bradys-bakery-glendale

Image Credit:
Main personal photo: Brian Kaminski

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