Small Business Success Story: Passion Flour Patisserie

When Jessica Davies developed recipes for her vegan bakery and cafe, she did not have vegans in mind.

Rather, it was her meat-eating father she aimed to please as he taste-tested each menu item. Davies would buy a traditional food item, such as a croissant from the local French bakery, then develop a vegan version for her dad to compare in a side-by-side taste test.

That research resulted in the mouth-watering menu of Passion Flour Patisserie, which features more than 40 pastries with a rotating assortment of flavors, custom cakes, and brunch served all day. From puffy chocolate croissants to savory smoked benedict to steamy chai lattes — all vegan — the delectable fare draws patrons from across the dietary map.

While folding croissant dough on a Tuesday morning, Davies discussed opening Passion Flour Patisserie at age 24, and the joys and challenges of being a small business owner.

How did you get your start in baking and cooking?

When I was growing up in Salt Lake City, my dad and I made caramel, fudge and brownies together. My mom decorated wedding cakes in her spare time, and I would help with that. In high school, I took an off-campus course on restaurant management, which taught us the different variations of chefs as well as about managing a restaurant.

After high school, I went to Chicago to study at The French Pastry School. Then in 2011, I moved to Hawaii to work at a destination wedding cake business. We made all types of custom cakes — everything from a topsy-turvy inward-curving cake with a Tim Burton vibe to a guitar-shaped wedding cake.

When and how did you decide to start your own small business?

I kind of always wanted to own a business. I had made lifestyle changes to veganism and started to develop recipes after work. When I moved back home to Utah in November 2014, I began looking at possible locations for a bakery and applying for small business loans. I opened Passion Flour Patisserie in June 2015 – almost exactly 6 years ago.

Salt Lake City has more vegan restaurants per capita than New York City. When we opened, there were already a few other vegan bakeries in the city, but we wanted to offer meals in addition to bakery items.

How have you been able to maintain your niche as a vegan establishment while garnering broad appeal?

For a while, most our customers were vegan. We would also get people with food allergies and breastfeeding mothers whose infants were having trouble with dairy. We’ve worked really hard to cater not just to vegans, but to serve food that appeals to everyone.

When I first adopted a vegan lifestyle, I often felt like I was compromising my family’s enjoyment of food because I ate differently than everyone else. One of my biggest goals with the business was to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable and enjoys eating together.

What has been your biggest hurdle in running a small business?

By far our biggest hurdle has been COVID and learning how to deal with that. We had to adjust to curbside only and it was just my manager and me working for a couple months. We’ve were fortunate to get a Paycheck Protection Program loan through Zions Bank early on and stay busy enough to keep the lights on.

My manager and I got all new employees and we’ve had to train them on dine-in service since we were only doing takeout for a long time. Fortunately, we’ve been lucky to find good people to hire. There are now six of us working at the café and we plan to add another person soon.

What tips do you have for other small business owners or aspiring small business owners?

You can’t please everybody — that’s hard to remember that when you’re starting out. As a business owner, I didn’t value my time at first and got burnt out pretty quickly working seven day a week. Finding someone you can trust is the most important thing. My manager, Alexx, is a godsend; I don’t know how I would do it without her.

When you’re a small business owner, it’s scary to step away even for a minute. It’s important to make sure you’re not burning yourself out and you know when to say “no.” Personal life is important and you need to take care of yourself first or you can’t take care of your business or your customers.

What else do you want people to know about your small business?

You don’t need to be vegan to enjoy Passion Flour Patisserie. Give it a try. We’re a vegan establishment that doesn’t care if you’re vegan. When we hire, we make sure employees know that we welcome everyone. In fact, we have employees on staff who aren’t vegan. We want to make sure no one who comes feels judged or is treated rudely for having questions.

Looking to start or grow your own small business? Zions Bank offers online business tools including business templates, columns, videos and financial calculators. Our Business Resource Centers in Salt Lake City and Boise provide 1-on-1 counseling and group training for entrepreneurs.

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