Arts IN Focus on PBS Fort Wayne is funded in part by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.

Coming up, we'll talk with pastry chef and owner of GK Baked Goods, Grace Kelly and artist Suzanne Rhee.

It's all next on Arts IN Focus.

Welcome to Arts IN Focus.

I'm Emilie Henry.

Grace Kelly is a classically trained pastry chef who has worked and managed pastry kitchens all across the US.

She has since returned home to Fort Wayne and started her own business, GK Baked Goods.

Using traditional from scratch methods.

Grace and her team are serving northern Indiana restaurants, businesses and residents with high quality, handcrafted artisan breads and pastries.

Grace, Thank you so much for having me today.

I mean, I'm surrounded by delicious baked goods and like coffee and the scents it's amazing.

It's a very wonderful space to be in.

It really is.

I'm going to focus.

Yes.

And let's talk about you.

When did you start baking and did you know right away like, oh, this is something I'm passionate about.

Yeah, I think I started like with my mom, you know, growing up and, like, she's a phenomenal baker, but she cannot cook.

I love my mom, but so I grew up with like, her chocolate chip cookies and all of that stuff.

So I was always interested in food, I was always interested in cooking.

And then once I got into high school, I realized I could kind of make a career out of this.

And I thought I wanted to go for like regular culinary.

But then I realized that I'm a very picky eater, but I love sweets, so I kind of fell in love with the that kind of artsy side to pastry, you know?

And it really is like a work of art when you think about the texture, the flavor profiles.

So that really drew me in.

And I fell in love with the pastry side and and it's just been pastries ever since.

So when you decided to go to culinary school, Not culinary.

Yeah.

but is it culinary school?

Yes, I went to culinary school, but I specialized in the baking pastry.

Okay.

Yeah.

How does it rock your world to know that when you think you're good at something and then you get into this, like, intense program?

Absolutely.

It's a different ballgame.

They told us, like, half of you will drop out within the first, like three months of your classes.

And if you think you're going to be on the Food Network, then just leave now.

So that was like a very big wake up call.

And but literally that first quarter, half of our class left and they were like, Oh, this is not what I thought it would be.

It's a very challenging job mentally, physically, you know, But it's definitely I'm so happy I went to culinary school because there is such a science to it.

Yeah.

How ingredients work together, how, you know, different environmental issues can affect your baking.

So for me, like the the level of quality that I want to produce and to, like, achieve that quality, you know, and that just takes time and experience.

And that was, I think, challenging and just that precision and perfection and the inner OCD in me, you know, I struggle with for the past 15 years of doing this.

So how do you combat the environmental issues and that kind of thing?

I mean, obviously a dough is going to be a different texture and depending on the humidity.

Absolutely.

And like, I think we just go into it knowing like today is going to be a slow proof day because it's freezing outside or like these macaroons are going to take a long time to dry because it's raining, you know, So some days just kind of depend on that and like they really are a mind of their own.

And so there's little tricks and tips we can do, but it's kind of we're at the mercy of the environment we're in too.

Yeah.

Okay.

You say we so you have a whole team.

I have the most amazing team ever.

I love them so much.

That's so great.

I say they make me look good, but like, really, it's them that are, like, just doing the amazing work.

So.

Did you, was it hard to to acquire a team and to especially because admittedly you're a little OCD?

Yeah.

How do you find the people that are going to care as much about the end product as you do?

Well, I think we were like a really interesting niche here in this community that wasn't filled yet.

You know, when we first started, GK, there was a lot of bakeries that maybe not everything was made from scratch and it wasn't that technical, you know, things we that we were making.

So I think we filled the void that was happening for people that were kind of serious about pastry.

Yeah.

So we've been really lucky on having like always really great hiring rates and like interest, which has been huge.

Yeah, but definitely like, it took me a long time admittedly to be able to kind of let up the reins, right, and to kind of step back.

Yeah.

My pastry chef now, Laura, shout out to Laura.

She's been with me six years and she runs the kitchens now while I'm here and kind of managing the brand.

And it's just been great, but it's taken me, you know, quite a bit of time to kind of be like, okay, you got it.

Okay.

So culinary school at least started out with the the science end of it and the real like kind of nuts and bolts.

Yeah.

When did it start to feel artistic to you?

Because you said that that was something that you were drawn to.

But I imagine it loses a little that when, that little luster Yeah, and it's been kind of hard because I've worked in many restaurants, like I've worked in Chicago and it was like high volume.

My boss worked in like super fine dining Michelin, and when I was actually at the super fine dining, Michelin restaurant, I realized I did not like it, you know, like plating with tweezers and like, perfect everything.

Like, that's just not my style.

Yeah.

So I found that my kind of vibe is like elevating the classics, you know, the stuff that I grew up with.

But how can we make this better?

Is it a flavor profile?

Is it a texture, or is it like adding salt to something so there's more of a balance?

I love that.

Balanced desserts for me is a huge thing.

Hence Pop tarts.

Yeah, hence pop tarts, our hand pies that we do a sugar salt blend on top.

So you get that salty, sweet, flaky.

Like try to think about all the different things we can get out of a single pastry.

Yes.

Yeah, It is.

There's something to making it look beautiful, too.

Or are you just more interested in in it being texturally?

I think a little bit of both.

You know, we like, we definitely have like, our standards of like this is how it should look.

Yeah.

But then there's also some times where it's kind of that artisanal, almost not perfect, perfect thing that goes on, which is also kind of great too.

So I think we we do a weird flex on both.

Has it always been important to you to bake from scratch?

Yes.

So that's kind of our whole branding philosophy is handmade everything.

So we do all of our breads, bagels.

If it's in here, we make it in-house.

We have ice cream, sorbets, Froyo, we make all of our coffee syrups in-house for our lattes.

We're doing loose leaf tea that we're blending ourselves.

So it's been a really great learning experience.

It's been great to build relationships with producers and farmers in our community.

Yeah, so it's been yeah, I think that coming from culinary school was always really important to me that we're producing something that is truly crafted by us.

Okay, You mentioned that you were in Chicago and you've been kind of all over, but what made you come back to Fort Wayne and then decide to open your own?

When I talked to you earlier I did not think I was going to be back in Fort Wayne ever.

And my mom's surprise, I moved back.

But for me, it was like, you know, my family's from here.

The support system's huge here.

And I knew coming back, like, I probably wouldn't have an executive pastry chef job.

Yeah.

And I actually sold health insurance for a while, and I was not good at it.

I was in a meeting and they were like, You're a pastry chef.

Like, that's what you do to make people happy.

And I said, You know what?

You're right.

So I worked with my friends.

They had a Affine food truck at that time, and we kind of built the brand just doing breads for them or macaroons or anything.

And I'd never in my wildest dreams thought it would be what it is today.

The support of the community we've received has been like, it's crazy, you know, and just to kind of this community, I can't say enough good things, you know, and to be a part of the revitalization of downtown and also building a hospitality scene here is the biggest reward for me is like taking things I learned in Chicago or bringing New York or someplace like here in Fort Wayne so you don't have to drive or travel.

You can have those moments here, too.

Yes.

So I often ask artists who have made a business of creating if the business side takes any of the joy out of the creative side.

Yeah, I'm really lucky, in that it doesn't for me because now, like, you know, I started it was only me when we first started had to like kitchenaid's I was holding on to and then we've just have grown and now we have like 20 plus on staff, which is crazy.

But I've been able to transition my role a lot.

So at first, you know, I was doing all the baking and then, you know, I hired a team.

And so it's been fun to kind of evolve my my position within the company.

So things that maybe I'm kind of like, Oh, I'm kind of tired of doing that.

Then I can have other or, you know, grow into something else.

But yeah, so it hasn't lost its luster for me.

Okay, so back to being an artist, do you still feel like baking, even though I assume you probably do it a lot less?

Yes.

Does it still feel like a creative outlet?

Oh, 100%.

Like if I'm home, like I'm making cookies with the kids.

But I do very simple things at home.

My kids are like, theyre a little boujee from here.

Like we're having banana bread, you know, or were having stuff I grew up with.

But it definitely is like a safe space for me.

It's where I feel most creative.

It's like therapy, you know, when you're in the kitchen, you can kind of zone in and just kind of put everything else out.

But yeah, it's a really good outlet to be like, I want to design this dish, you know, and what things am I trying to portray in it, or how can I highlight this ingredient better, you know?

So that's a really cool creative process there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

What is the best part about not just running GK but creating.

Being an artist?

Yes.

What is the best part about being an artist?

I love the fact that I get to be a part of the community.

I love the fact that our baked goods bring joy to people and it can be a bright point in somebody's day or create a tradition for them where you're like, Oh, I'm going to the market.

I have to get a cinnamon roll.

You know, I think that's the most rewarding.

And just to be like with the provision, sides of thing, to be able to be kind of a storefront here for local people, that they can have a storefront downtown seven days a week.

You know, if they're at the farmer's market, their customers can come here as well.

So I just love that we're able to support the community, be a welcoming and inclusive space for everybody and just spread joy.

And it's special.

You know, like I could make a cinnamon roll, but it's not going to be yeah, it's not going to be really wanting to create like a high quality space, but like, have to be approachable to everybody.

You know, we don't want to be like, out of reach.

And so I'm glad that we can do it through baked goods.

Yes.

Yeah, you have hit the mark and is there any better way to do it then, through baked goods?

I don't think so.

Im just going to eat a pan of cinnamon rolls myself.

So, Ill just get us a fork and we can share it.

Grace this has been so much fun.

Your space is delightful.

You are wonderful.

Thank you.

I can't wait for the next location.

I know.

We need to think of ideas.

Yeah, and if it's not in Fort Wayne, then I'll head to wherever it is Well fly to Bora Bora, I don't know where ever.

Where do we want to vacation?

Yes.

Perfect.

Thank you so much.

Thank you For more information, visit GK Baked Goods dot com.

I am joined now by creator Suzanne Rhee.

Suzie, thank you for being here.

You do so many things that I just had to call you a creator because we can't narrow it down.

You are a comic book creator, a muralist, a creative writer.

How did you begin as an artist?

I was.

I was born an artist.

I think most of us can say that as creators.

It's an urge from when we're really young.

But I was raised by a mother who was an architect, and she taught me everything she knew about art.

And so I always had this creative spirit that was really fostered growing up.

And as I as I got older, I really dove into books and loved escaping into those worlds and found that I could also express my creativity in that way through storytelling and emotion.

And so throughout my whole life, I've kind of had these two loves and found a way to join them.

Even with graphic novels and comics, both through storytelling and visual aspects.

So it's it's been a wonderful journey for me.

Fantastic.

Okay.

I want to talk so much more about that, but I want to get into the logistics a little bit more.

So when you went to college, you studied creative writing?

I did.

What was the impetus for that?

What made you of all the creative outlets?

What made you decide that was going to be where you focused?

I think I saw more paid opportunities as a writer.

More ways that that could translate to the real world, whatever that means.

And I was really sold on a program that was designed for professional writing.

So I had this idea that, you know, if I learned the business, I could really, like, make my way as a writer and as a maker and use my gift for words.

So I actually have two degrees in creative writing, not just one, because I really love storytelling and I love the emotion that's in it.

I love the range of the human experience and you know, how we can share experiences and share knowledge through words.

I read that you didn't really get back into painting until 2020.

Now, prior to that, were you focused mostly on on the comic side or how did that work?

Right.

I didn't even discover comics as a medium that worked for me until later in college.

For the first part of college, I was focused completely as a writer.

And, you know, when I was doing these art classes on the side, I was finding like I was overwhelmed by what I was learning and how I wanted to execute it.

And so I put color and painting aside and decided that I really want to focus on line work on black and white in contrast.

And when I found graphic novels as not just like superheroes, but literary storytelling, that's when it clicked for me.

And I said, Oh, this, this black and white that I've already been working in translates perfect to the comic book medium.

And it feels like such a great marriage that that you can be a storyteller in both ways.

And so then tell me what happened in 2020 that got you back into painting?

Right.

So in 2020, I was graduating with my MFA in Creative Writing, and this was in the middle of the pandemic still.

And I just didn't know how I felt about the job hunt yet.

Yeah.

And there was this opportunity put out by art this way and make it your own mural festival to be a mentee for a mural artist and kind of learn the ins and outs and help them paint a mural in ten days.

And I said, Why not?

Was that terrifying?

Because you've got now you've been just doing line work, working on your line drawings haven't even been painting, dealing with color.

Now you're going to go large scale.

I mean, that's huge.

Right.

Literally.

And figuratively.

When I when I applied, I didn't think it through.

And then I started freaking out.

I was like, What am I getting myself into?

Yeah.

But I was sort of excited about the opportunity.

Tell me what it was like to be a mentee and what you learned from that experience.

So, you know, as a mentee, it was a volunteer position.

So my, my lead artist was like, show up when you want when you have time.

I'll show you what I know.

And mostly it was just following his his design and his art process.

But he had let me do my own little part and section just to say like, Hey, you can add this to your own portfolio.

Like, I have created something this big and my mentor Shawn, was really great.

He's based out of Rochester, New York.

He's done several murals here in the Fort Wayne area and actually across the country.

But he was just wonderful in terms of showing me how things work, kind of showing me that there aren't too many mysteries with painting a mural.

It's it's not some magic.

It's kind of just taking the logic of painting small and blowing it up big.

Seems like magic to me.

So break that down for me.

How do you take something small and translate it into a huge piece?

Right.

So there's a lot of different methods.

Some people freehand it.

They're really good with just stepping back and seeing where the going.

They have that confidence.

Other people use a projector.

You can use something called like a grid or a doodle method where you would have a doodle on the wall that you kind of paint out really quickly and then kind of overlay your own art onto it and have that print out as a guide to show you where you're going to put your lines.

So there's there's some methods that people in like the regular community use.

They use like a regular one by one grid that they would lay over a photo and then, you know, find where that line is on their, quote map So these tools were already kind of like in my toolbox.

Yeah, it was really cool to find out.

So have you experimented with different methods or did you find one right away that worked and you stick with that?

I think my favorite is the projector method.

It doesn't work every time, but it is the fastest.

There you go.

Because then you just have your design already made up.

You follow your lines really quickly and then it's running ahead straight from there.

So speaking of design, I want to talk a little bit more about that, because you are such a storyteller that I know a lot goes into your designs.

So when you are going to create a mural, what where do you even begin?

I begin with, you know, the the heart of the people who are asking for it.

So back in September, I did a design for Hamilton Park in the North Highlands neighborhood, and they wanted something that captured the the aspect of the park itself.

You know, they have baseball.

They have these beautiful trees.

They they want to like, invite families there and like, have a good time.

So I was thinking about how can I capture those elements in a way that isn't just like, oh, I look at the wall and then I look over and I see those exact things.

Right.

But it's it's finding like, you know what?

What do they want?

And how do I also express that?

How do I tell that story of Hamilton Park as a place where you can go and see beauty and have fun?

So what did you land on?

So because I'm like, Yes, I like that tracks.

I get that.

And then I'm like, But what would I do?

I don't know what I would do.

So what did you do?

So I ended up doing a family with a picnic basket and a large set of flowers in the middle, kind of capturing that natural beauty and then fireflies off to the side, you know, showing like the the dusky aspect, how the fields kind of like, you know, go quiet and you can just look out and see those twinkling lights in the evening.

Beautiful.

And I also loved again that there's such a story there.

So I think I read that in your spare time, you are working on some graphic novels.

Is that correct?

Yeah.

How does that creative outlet feed you?

You know, it's it's a different kind of mode, You know, with with a mural.

It's a single image.

It's static.

And you find one thing and you fixate on it.

And with something like a graphic narrative, it's an arc and it builds and it rises and it falls and you get character development and you have you get to see a range of human emotions coming across and there's conflict.

And it's it's just like kind of an exciting and more dynamic approach to creativity.

So do you see yourself putting murals on the back burner and moving your graphic artistry and graphic novels up to the forefront?

Or are you happy with the balance right now?

It must be tricky to know what you're going to give your full attention to.

It's tricky.

Yeah.

Something about the mural business is that you you make contacts early on, and it might be a year or two later that they actually say, Yes, I want this.

And so it's hard to know, like when I can ramp up and when I should ramp down.

But, you know, I foresee for right now, I want to be ramping down murals and ramping up my graphic novels and that that aspect of things because I've spent a lot of time painting and I don't want to neglect my other skills.

Sure.

I need to pick up my my brush and ink again and get warmed up.

And yeah.

I know that the the messaging in your work is so important to you.

So when people read your work or see your work, what do you hope they take away from it?

I hope that they take away a deeper empathy for other people.

When I write, I want to tell stories about like the brokenness that I see in the world and hopefully offer a way that we can work towards fixing it.

You know, maybe that's not realistic, but, you know, I at least want to reflect the the problems that I see and try to create a positive move for the future.

What has art taught you about yourself?

I think it's taught me sometimes I carry things too deeply.

You you know, I am an emotional person.

I know that's shocking.

After what you just heard.

And sometimes those stories come out of, like, my own hurt and the hurt of, like, my family, for instance.

So it teaches me to moderate it, to express it.

And it can it can be a gauge for me and a temperature, like a thermometer of when things are really bad or when things are going well.

And so it's it's beautiful as a tool of self-reflection for me.

That is so amazing because it can go one of two ways.

You know, they say hurt people.

Hurt people.

Well, not necessarily sometimes hurt people or deeply feeling people create really amazing art that other people can see themselves in.

So thank you for being brave enough to to take all of those feelings and and give them to the world in such a profound way.

Suzie, you are delightful.

Your work is amazing.

And I really appreciate you sitting down with me today.

Thank you so much.

For more information, find Rhee in ink on Instagram.

Our thanks to Grace Kelly and Suzanne Rhee.

Be sure to join us next week for Arts IN Focus.

You can catch this and other episodes at PBS Fort Wayne dot org or through our app.

And be sure to check out our YouTube channel.

Thank you for watching.

And in the meantime, enjoy something beautiful.

Grace Kelly is a classically trained pastry chef who has worked and managed pastry sorry pastry kitchens.

You want to stand in?

You could do this Im rolling, you rolling?

Yep.

Ok. lets see, our broken clapper We're so professional.

That's just amazing.

I want one.

I'll just do that to all the staff.

Do you want a broken one?

Yes.

Okay, we good?

Yeah, I'm good.

You good Jeff?

Yep.

Okay.

Grace, thank you so much for having me today.

Just sparked my brain.

I was like, Oh, this is it.

Yeah.

Okay, Now, you went to school Were going to pause real quick.

You guys are doing great.

We've got a mic right here.

We're going to do technical wizardry, but we are going to have you start, just start over.

Oh, no.

Here you got a clip Okay.

As long as it's like zoom in on my face.

Okay.

But you know, the worst part, I noticed that before we started and then I forgot about it.

That's good warm-up.

Okay.

All right, great.

Good.

We're going to nail it this time.

Your work is amazing, and I really appreciate you sitting down with me today.

Thank you so much.

Okay, Todd says you got to do it again.

Arts IN Focus on PBS Fort Wayne is funded in part by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne.