Meet Tracy Dempsey | Pastry Chef & Cooking Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tracy Dempsey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tracy, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Several habits that have been important to the success of my business include list making, maintaining a consistent routine, and regularly evaluating and eliminating processes and accounts that no longer make sense to the bottom line. I recall watching my maternal grandmother who in addition to overseeing a 500-acre farm, also did the bookkeeping for her church and provided the monthly catered lunches for the local Chamber of Commerce- make her nightly lists on these small white, unlined note pads. Through following that same practice, I came to learn how this helped me not only plan for the next day but also allowed my brain to rest a little more during sleep. Sure, things pop up and the list might not be 100% complete by day’s end, but it provides a plan of attack that keeps me on track. I regularly evaluate my menu of offerings and determine what may need to be revamped or simply removed from our menu. This offers us a chance to recreate and refresh a beloved item, revive one of days gone by or to stop purchasing ingredients we may not need to continue ordering- always better for our bottom line.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

The business I have today is hardly what I imagined it would be when I first started on this path. My initial plan post-pastry cheffing at restaurants was to open a dessert bar (yes, desserts and adult beverages), but the post-economic downturn of the early 2000s left me unsure and so, I embarked on a completely different path. I rented time and space in a friend’s restaurant and catering kitchen during her off-hours. I schlepped my desserts and Bacon Pecan Brittle to the local farmer’s market as well as dropped off bags of samples to local, independent boutique shops. I made lots of connections this way and ended up with my products in a good many shops, coffee shops and eventually restaurants. My business started to focus on providing wholesale dessert service to many restaurants and a few resorts which led to the need for my own kitchen space and a team of bakers. The business grew quickly. There were many components including cooking classes, wedding cakes, etc., to the business that I added in an effort to branch out from the wholesale business. A turning point in that effort came when I decided rent the large space adjacent to my commercial kitchen. My husband and I invested in the remodel of the space, often doing much of the work ourselves, and eventually the space became our brick-and-mortar bakery and wine retail shop. We wanted to focus on our fellow small business owners/producers in addition to my own sweet and savory offerings. Because a good many local business owners gave me my first chance by selling my products, I wanted to return that same support to others starting out. We always have an array of local, Arizona made products that complement what we offer- coffee, bread, wine, etc. We love it when new shoppers appear because they want to support local. A big part of our story is simply the community we’ve gathered over the years, and as we are in the 7th anniversary year of our little shop, we hope to continue our evolution and further grow our community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The beautiful part about visiting Arizona is there is something to do and see year round- I don’t care if it’s a frigid 60F day or a balmy 115F day! A visit to the Desert Botanical Gardens followed with lunch at their on-site restaurant, Gertrude’s whose menu is focused on Arizona flavors is a gimme. The array and variety of plant life in the desert is breath-taking and overwhelming, so it’s worth a visit every time one is here. A trip up north to the Verde Valley AVA to experience the higher elevations, visit the wine tasting rooms around the area including Chateau Tumbleweed, Pillsbury Wines, Page Springs,
and Caduceus to name a few with lunch and/or dinner at the Merkin Osteria is a must.

Another wine-centric trip, but in the opposite direction- SE Arizona with a visit to the Elgin and Willcox AVAs to take in the beauty of the high desert wine country (think: 5000 feet elevation!) and the amazing AZ wines to be had. We’ll pay a visit to Callaghan Vineyards, Dos Cabezas, Lightning Ridge, Twisted Union Wine Co, Soaring Wines, Los Milics and Vino Stache Winery to name a few. We’ll enjoy the great pizza and other wine-friendly offerings at Proghorn Pizza and make our way to Patagonia for dinner and wine at The Queen of Cups.
The Phoenix Art and Heard Museums will be must-sees as well. We’ll start with brunch and cocktails at The Garden Bar where the creative, spirituous libations of mixologist Kim Hassarud are as eye-catching as they are delicious. A stop in at GenuWine Wine Bar for a local wine-on-tap experience will precede dinner at Farish House- a French centric restaurant occupying a darling historic home in the heart of downtown. If time permits, a cooking class at the Boho Farm and Home would make for a fun finish to the DT Phoenix tour.
We’ll finish up in our home base of Scottsdale. A walking tour of Old Town Scottsdale will provide opportunities to find treasures to take home from the small boutique shops. We’ll finish with dinner at FNB restaurant where Chef Charleen Badman’s vegetable centric menu will round out our day.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
First and foremost. my husband Chuck Dempsey deserves a lot of credit for supporting me through the highs and lows of my business. His encouragement, level-headed perspective in addition to keeping the household under control (laundry washed, meals cooked, etc.) have made this journey possible.

Website: tracydempseyoriginals.com

Instagram: tdo_odv

Facebook: tdoriginalsandodvwines

Youtube: tracydempseyoriginals3120

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Brad Ottesen (my pastry assistant with my Iphone)