By Randi Burdette
If you’ve driven down First Street in Hamilton you may have seen a peaked red roof and a sign with a large rooster beckoning you to come inside and try a new pastry. And if you do go inside, you’ll find a smiling group of people who will help you brighten your day with a pastry, coffee, or perhaps a delicious sandwich.
Alison Bowcutt is the owner of the Red Rooster Artisan Bakery in Hamilton, a bakery that specializes in delicious house made food and catering. Ali and her business partner, Becky Mildenberger, started Red Rooster in 2008 as a catering business and found that they made a great team and decided to expand their business to their location on First Street. Opened in 2011 at their current location, the bakery has expanded to the farmer’s market downtown and is planning a new location in the heart of downtown Hamilton.
The new location will be similar to the current Red Rooster but with a simplified menu. They’ll keep the coffee bar and the pastries but Ali is hoping to add a juice bar and some more decorative cookies. Ali also hopes to sell more retail items such as the Red Rooster coffee blend, the Red Rooster granola, and other items that can currently be found in the store. The artisan breads that the store sells now will also be found in the new location. Ali says they’re hoping to open the new location in the next few months at 167 S. Second Street in downtown Hamilton.
As a baker, Ali has been working towards this her whole life. Growing up her family would encourage her interest in many different ways, including how to taste food with her grandmother. It’s from her family that many of the recipes that are now staples of Red Rooster are from. One of these is the German Chocolate Cake that sits on the counter under a glass dome for customers to see when they first walk through the door. “The recipe,” Ali says, “is a family secret.” Another unique recipe that Ali lays claim to is her carrot cake, as she has yet to find another recipe similar to hers.
Of course, cakes are not all she and her bakers knows how to do. While working as an apprentice in Logan, Ali learned how to create artisan breads, similar to the loaves of bread that the Red Rooster creates. However, she’s no stranger to the world of restauranteering. Having worked in bed and breakfasts with her parents, at restaurants, as a line cook, and catering, Ali was well on her way to this type of bakery before the idea of Red Rooster came calling.
The success of the business has grown to accommodate a new building and more catering. Catering includes Thanksgiving and holiday parties, office parties, and other types of catered events. The demand for cakes, pies and other desserts is fairly high with the customers. “If you can think of it, I can probably make it,” Ali says about creating custom designs.
So, if you are stumped as to what to do for your next holiday party, let Red Rooster Artisan Bakery take the lead and create a custom cake or pie for you. Or just stop by 310 S. First Street and say hello and grab a cup of delicious coffee – the special this month is an Eggnog Latte. And what is Ali’s favorite item on the menu? It’s the pear fruit tart.