Chayanne is the first to say she was not the strongest student academically, but she thrived in athletics. She ran indoor and outdoor track, played soccer for years, and found confidence through sports. Her track coach, Jessica (Lyons) Densmore (Latin, 1997-2025), was especially supportive.
A pivotal moment came during a conversation with college advisor Len Wilcox P ‘01, ‘03, GP ‘34, ‘37, ‘39 (Math, 1969-1982, 1986-2020). When Chayanne said she wanted a four-year degree in culinary arts, he helped her find Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondacks, a small trade school near Saranac Lake and Lake Placid that offered culinary arts and business management. He also connected her with an internship at The Little Bakery, through Terry Fonda Smith P ‘19, ‘21 (Lower School Music, 1994-2007, Head of Lower School, 2007-present), where she learned just how heavy a 50-pound bag of flour can be. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be a baker, but she was still interested in the culinary world.
At Paul Smith’s, she learned foundational cooking techniques, including mother sauces, along with accounting skills for running a business. She graduated in 2009 and began working in restaurants, seasonal jobs at hotels and ski resorts. In 2011, Chayanne received a call from her college roommate who invited her to join her in Austin, TX. Feeling restless in Vermont, and looking to defrost in the warm Texas sun, she packed one suitcase and moved to Austin with one month’s rent and a job search ahead of her. It took two weeks to find work.
She worked paycheck-to- paycheck, first at Lambert’s BBQ, then at a taco truck for three or four years. Eventually, she landed at Parkside, a downtown Austin gastropub where she met her future husband, Tyler. When Chayanne and Tyler decided to start a family, the restaurant’s owners adapted her role at the restaurant. She became the food cook for the restaurant’s juice bar so she could work in the morning; a good balance so she could spend time with Wyatt and Lylah. It was her first real glimpse of how a food business could flex around a life—not consume it. They stayed at Parkside for about five years.
In 2018, they moved to Dallas to be closer to family. Tyler worked at an upscale Italian restaurant and Chayanne was working at a bakery making pastries. When the pandemic hit in 2020, they both lost their jobs. Six months in, as PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) checks began arriving, they knew he had to make a change. Tyler returned to baking, a skill he had honed at Parkside, especially in lamination—the delicate process of folding butter into dough to create flaky layers like those in croissants. They invested in a Rofco brick bread oven, a three tiered stone stack oven, and a mixer, and launched a “cottage bakery” from their home.
Under Texas cottage bakery laws, they could sell directly to customers but not exceed $50,000 in revenue. With this in mind, they started baking. They sold about 60 loaves at the downtown Dallas farmers market and another 40 from their home or by porch delivery. They also did pop-ups at coffee shops. Tyler baked in the early morning hours while Chayanne handled sales. Chayanne would leave the house by 7am and return by noon. They did this for three years. The reviews were strong and the demand was steady.
In 2023, they signed a lease at Tyler Station, a former Dixie Cup factory building, in the Oak Cliff neighborhood and opened a brick and mortar shop, Oak Cliff Bread. The timing of the purchase was perfect because the previous space had been a cake shop and they were able to lease a fully equipped, bakery ready space. Today, Tyler still rises in the early hours to feed their ten-year-old “mother” starter and oversee long fermentation before baking. They are open three days a week, with Saturdays the busiest. Chayanne runs the front of the house, and they employ three staff members. They carefully control their product, choosing not to use delivery apps, wholesale accounts, or shipping. The bread purchased always comes directly from them.
She says the local baking community in Oak Cliff is generous and supportive, a refreshing change from the competitive restaurant world. Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: try things. Stay true to yourself. Make rules and follow them. Be consistent. Build something you can maintain. When her children were young, she knew she needed to be home while still earning income, so she created a model that allowed both.
And above all, she says, get to know your neighbors. They might become your customers some day!
To read more about the bakery, enjoy this article from D Magazine.
