Meet Rachel Curran | Owner & Lead Baker

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

Hi Rachel, what do you attribute your success to?
Odd Bird Baking Co. has always been about thinking, living and creating outside-the-box. As a pastry chef, I have always been intrigued and inspired by unusual ingredients and using ingredients in unexpected ways. Every pastry, cake, or pie that we make is our own recipe – they are often inspired by other bakeries or other creations, but we create or adapt every recipe to be sure it fits with our signature style. I try to always think about natural color in the pastries, bleached white pastries are so boring to me and I push myself creatively to dig deeper and find ways to surprise people. We also feature lots of local ingredients – from local fruits and veggies to locally grown grains which we use in some way or another in almost every item we make. As vendors in our local farmers market, we are so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful local products.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a business owner but I see myself as an artist first. I have been baking professionally for 17 years. My husband likes to remind me that I have my 10,000 hours x3 (if you’ve read the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, you know what I’m referencing). I started decorating cakes and patiserrie items at Whole foods; from there, I worked at a tiny bakery in Steamboat Springs called Chocolate Soup; then an itty bitty cafe in Hygiene, CO called The Crane Hollow where I baked pies; next was a cupcake shop in Boulder called Tee and Cakes, then I was part of the opening crew for a couple of restaurants in Boulder, helping develop the dessert menu for one of them; next came Sugar Bakeshop in Charleston, SC; and finally I helped open Lucky’s Bakehouse in Boulder where I worked as the assistant pastry chef for 4 years before leaving to raise my family. I have worked in some amazing bakeries with some incredible people and what I learned in each different place culminated in starting Odd Bird. None of it has been easy – food service jobs are demanding in so many ways, and being a business owner on top of that is not for the faint of heart. There are days when I question everything! But I love baking and I love providing a memorable experience for people with my creations, there is nothing else I can imagine doing. And at the end of the day, I want my life to be an adventure, and I want my children to see that there is not one straight path that you have to follow in life – you can make your own!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting for the week, I would take her to the gorgeous coffee and plant shop Still Life Coffee for some of the best coffee in town and I would give her a giant plate of pastries to eat (Still Life sells Odd Bird pastries, wink wink). Then we would go on a mountain bike ride, something fairly easy and basic because really it would just be an excuse to go to Fired Up Pizza or El Moro to eat lots of great food for lunch. Then we’d paddle board the Animas River to Oxbow and float back down, all the way to Rotary Park where we’d jump out and have dinner at Famburger. She would have to come work the booth with me at the Durango Farmer’s Market because it’s the best way to spend a Saturday morning and the best place to connect with some of the coolest most creative people in town. Honestly, I think we’d spend most of our time hiking, eating good food and hanging out on one of the beaches along the Animas and wave at the people on the train!

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?
My family gets 100% props for the support and encouragement they have given me since starting Odd Bird 7 years ago. My husband, who has been by my side literally in the kitchen and in life. He was an engineer by trade, and happily jumped in when the opportunity arose for this tiny bakery to become our livelihood. I handed him a binder full of handwritten recipes, often on sticky notes, and he has help grow and streamline the bakery since then. My children, who help with the farmer’s market every weekend, do wedding and event deliveries with me, and who are always available to be “taste-testers” – the most important job of all. My parents, who not only watch my children so that my husband and I can bake and work, but who also regularly help at the farmer’s market and are always asking how they can help more with the bakery. My mother and father in-law, who have ceaselessly supported us from afar, always cheering us on. And my siblings and siblings-in-law who are always ready to test new items and share ideas and feedback. Truly, I am backed by the most amazing people who have made this journey a little easier and a lot more fun.

Website: https://www.oddbirdbaking.co

Instagram: @oddbirdbakingco

Facebook: @oddbirdbakingco

Image Credits
Ginger Moose Photography
Wild Child Media Co.