“He’s the talker,” says Frances Money about her husband, Carl, but when she starts talking about baking, she’s off to the races.
“I was such a nerd. All I did when I was little was just bake. Every afternoon, my mom was like, ‘Wow, more cookies.’”
For Frances, baking has never been simply about following a recipe. It started in her grandmother Dot’s kitchen, where Frances stood on a stool just to reach the counter. From that perch, she learned to make cakes, cookies, hand pies, and other sweets, picking up the skills and love of baking that would eventually become her career.
Today, she is the owner and head baker at Dot’s Bakery. You can find it tucked away at 314 E. Austin St. The bakery carries more than Dot’s name. It carries the lessons Frances learned at her grandmother’s side, where baking was an afternoon pastime that would quietly become a lifelong calling.
More than 20 years ago, Frances studied to become a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, which has since closed. But before culinary school, there were plenty of signs that baking was where she belonged.
As a young adult, Frances followed her parents’ advice and earned a degree in business finance from LSU. It was a practical choice, but her heart was still in the kitchen.
“I always knew I wanted to go to cooking school and be in this profession. I worked in restaurants, other bakeries, and catering, but I always wanted to have my own space.”
That dream took her farther than she expected. Frances met Carl after stopping by his house in Dallas because he had put out a For Rent sign. She didn’t end up renting the house. Instead, the two got married and moved to London together.
There, Frances became bakery manager and pastry chef at the renowned Primrose Bakery. She helped create and test recipes for the bakery’s first two cookbooks, adding an international chapter to a career that had started with cookies on a kitchen counter.
After living abroad, the couple found their way to Fredericksburg, where they had always wanted to raise their growing family and manage their vineyard and winery, Pontotoc Vineyard.
Frances’s picnic baskets became a favorite at Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten on Main Street, filled with brownies, spiced nuts, and other treats. When it was time to move, the couple began looking for a place where Frances could bring her baking into its own.
“We always talked about having our own coffee shop and bakery,” says Frances.
The East Austin Street property proved to be just the spot. Turning the courtyard, house, and garage into their vision took two years, but today it holds Dot’s Bakery, Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten, and their boutique distillery, Scout Spirits.
The space has already hosted everything from baby showers to celebrations of life, making it clear that Frances and Carl have created more than a bakery. They’ve created a place where people can gather, linger, celebrate and, naturally, enjoy something sweet.
“I think everyone’s dream is to own a bakery,” says Frances.
“Not everyone,” interjects Carl, “Every pastry chef.”
“Well, yeah!” retorts Frances, clearly grateful that her childhood dream and her grandmother led her to be one.