Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Fersch.
Andrew, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My mother, Judith Fersch, started Concord Teacakes 33 years ago from our kitchen at home. This small operation grew into her using the local Elks Club kitchen for a few years until she was able to find a larger kitchen space on her own. From there, recognition grew (especially for her scones and her Emily Dickinson raisin brandy cake), and eventually she needed to open a retail store. About five years ago, Judith decided she was going to slowly phase out of working full time (33 years is a long time to work the overnight baking shift!) and took on a partner, Peter Mahler. This year, she officially started working on a cookbook, and her son took over management of the store (that’s me!)
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At times the road has been smooth, at times, quite bumpy. A bakery needs people to feel secure in their savings to be successful (since, no matter how much we may feel like it, it’s not necessarily a staple). Some moments, like the crash of 2008. really affected the business to the extent that there was fear it wouldn’t survive. Other moments, like when the New York Times wrote a big article on her baking, business positively grew exponentially. The struggle for my mother was trying to make a product affordable (enough) while keeping the quality high – something that every baker and chef and food service person can understand.
Concord Teacakes – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Concord Teacakes is most well-known for scones and cakes. The scones have been a staple for 33 years. They’ve won awards, they’ve been shipped all over the world; they’re delicious. More recently, the bakery has been known for its cakes. Beautiful and intricately designed, these delicious cakes have graced hundreds of weddings (and all sorts of other parties).
My mother started this business in a time when it was far less common for women to begin an endeavor such as this. I’ve always been wildly proud of that. She knew what she wanted to do and she did it without hesitation. She also chose a location (West Concord), which, at that time, had no other specialty food options and helped grow it into what it is today (with a whole lot of sweat and hard work).
What sets us apart? It’s amazing to me that there are customers who I remember serving in the store twenty plus years ago who still remember teenage me who worked at the store – this is amazing because such a loyal customer base feels like an antiquated notion in some ways. I think what is special though is that we have a score of customers who have been coming in daily or weekly for years and decades, but that we’re also able to bring in new customers on a regular basis and that both leave contented. I’m proud of that fact, and the fact that we’re creating something that people really love.
As for now, what sets us apart is that we’re really excited about trying to evolve even more, without losing the charm and delicious food we’ve always had – instead of being stagnant, we’re talking to the customers and asking how we can improve, hoping to create an even better experience for them. We are taking on new partnerships with schools and community organizations to help local people as much as we can. We are making specialty items that are helping support charities we believe in (like our use of Kernza flour to support Wes Jackson’s Land Institute, or our new Lost Farm Banana Bread, which supports the Mass Audubon Society).
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My mom was recently asked this and she said the opening of the retail store (and then it’s subsequent growth from a 400 sq. ft. store to a 1700 sq. ft. store). I would say that the thing I’m most proud of it my mother’s loyalty to her staff. There are many employees who have worked at Teacakes for around 20 years and that is a testament to what she has created and who she is as a person.
Contact Info:
- Address: 59 Commonwealth Avenue West Concord, MA 01742
- Website: www.concordteacakes.com
- Phone: 978.369.7644
- Email: concordteacakes@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/concordteacakes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/concordteacakes
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/concordteacakes
Image Credit:
Andrew Lapham Fersch
Erin Fitzmaurice
Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
