The Women’s History Month Campaign, Led by Goldenrod Pastries’ Angela Garbacz, Brought Together 20 Female Chefs From Around The Country In Its Inaugural Year
Last month, Angela Garbacz – the owner and head pastry chef of an all-women-powered bakery called Goldenrod Pastries in Lincoln, Nebraska – launched a campaign in light of Women’s History Month called Empower Through Flour. Garbacz created the initiative in hopes that it would serve as a vehicle to celebrate the many talented women in the food industry, raise money and awareness for the 501(c)3 organization I AM THAT GIRL, and inspire young girls everywhere to be confident leaders.
“As a female-owned and operated business, Goldenrod Pastries is dedicated to setting a great example for these young women,” says Garbacz. “I truly believe that the more energy, time, and resources we can put towards their advancement, the better our future will be. I am so grateful to I AM THAT GIRL, and all of the chefs who chose to be involved with Empower Through Flour, in helping us spread this important message.”
In February, Garbacz recruited an all-star lineup of female chefs and pastry chefs from select cities across the United States to commit to the month-long initiative. With 20 participants in total (including Garbacz), 17 of them created and sold a special Empower Through Flour item that incorporated the color purple (which historically signifies the women’s suffrage movement); the remaining participants showed their support for the cause via social media.
A portion of proceeds from the March sales of the special items were donated by each participating chef to I AM THAT GIRL in April via the campaign’s fundraising page. A total of $5,104.66 was raised for I AM THAT GIRL – with $4,364.66 donated by Empower Through Flour participants and $740 by external donors. The funds raised through the campaign will be used by I AM THAT GIRL to grow the organization’s peer-led local chapter programs, mobile app, and research-backed curriculums.
“Our organization is always looking for strong, inspiring women and like-minded brands to partner with,” says Christy Reeves, Chief Executive Officer of I AM THAT GIRL. “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Angela [Garbacz] and the amazing group of female chefs who joined the initiative. With Empower Through Flour and the support of these women, we were able inspire our girls and spread powerful messages of confidence, leadership, and self-love.”
Empower Through Flour was recognized in national online publications such as Martha Stewart, Tasting Table, Restaurant Hospitality, Nation’s Restaurant News, and Food Republic, among others. It also made an impact on social media, garnering a total engagement of 232.9%, with an average engagement of 5.2%, as tracked through the campaign’s hashtags #EmpowerThroughFlour and #IAmThatGirl. Posts about the campaign received 16,409 “likes” overall.
The complete list of 2018 Empower Through Flour participants included:
Midwest
- Angela Garbacz, Goldenrod Pastries (Lincoln, NE) | Heart-Shaped Lavender-Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Rebecca Ankenbrand, Sweet Minou Chocolate (Lincoln, NE) | Dark Chocolate-Dipped Cannelés with Dragonfruit Powder
Southwest
- Amanda Turner, Juniper (Austin, TX) | Hand Cut Beet Tagliatelle with Red Cabbage, Chevre, Everything Spice
- Joy Williams, Guard & Grace (Denver, CO) | TAG Toffee Cake with Purple Micro-Basil
West Coast
- Sarah Bonar, Octavia / Frances (San Francisco, CA) | Full Belly Farms Purple Tibetan Barley Bread with Toasted Seeds
- Roxana Jullapat, Friends & Family (Los Angeles, CA) | Blueberry Scones
- Annie Miler, Clementine (Los Angeles, CA) | Purple “W” Cookies
- Valerie Gordon, Valerie Confections (Los Angeles, CA) | Lavender Petit Fours (Four Layer Lavender Cake, Honey Creme Fraiche Panache, Fresh Lavender)
- (Social Media) Tess Wilson, Protest Cakes (San Francisco, CA) | That’s What Girls Are Made Of Cake (Purple Velvet Cake)
- (Social Media) Dominique Crenn, Atelier Crenn (San Francisco, CA) | i’Ice Crenn Sandwich (Umeboshi Ice Cream Sandwich, Sea Jewel Seaweed)
New York City/New Jersey
- Ali LaRaia, The Sosta (New York, NY) | Beet Ricotta with Hazelnuts,Tarragon, Lemon, Toasted Focaccia
- Caroline Schiff, Annex (Brooklyn, NY) | Blueberry Olive Oil Pound Cake with Blueberry/Elderflower Glaze and Candied Violets
- Clemence Danko, Choc O Pain Bakery & Cafe (Hudson County, NJ) | Black and Purple Cookie with Black Currant and White Chocolate Filling
Great Lakes
- Yasmin Gutierrez, Beatrix (Chicago, IL) | Grape Macaroons
- Meg Galus, Somerset (Chicago, IL) | Chocolate Bon Bon Box (Vanilla Violet / Malted Chai / Hazelnut Coffee / Miso Caramel)
- Jennifer Jones Enyart, Dos Urban Cantina (Chicago, IL) | Violette Beso de Angel Sundae (Violette Ice Cream, Toasted Marshmallow, Rose Pate de Fruit, Marcona Almond)
- Kaya Tate, Hopscotch Bakery (Urbana, IL) | Blueberry-Lavender French Macaron
South
- Lisa Marie White, Killebrew (Nashville, TN) | Butterfly Sugar Cookies with Blackberry Royal Icing
- (Social Media) Jen Jacobs, Wandering Whisk Bakeshop (Saint Petersburg, FL) | Lavender Macarons
Mid-Atlantic
- Caitlin Dysart, Centrolina (Washington D.C.) | Coconut-Lavender Crumb Cake
