FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #45 Flour, Grit, and Motherhood: The Recipe Behind Biscuit Batch
Ever wonder how a pandemic setback could transform into a delicious opportunity? Meet Jessica Wilkins, the force behind Biscuit Batch, who shares her fascinating journey from Navy gas turbine mechanic to comfort food entrepreneur on this episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast.
Jessica's story defies expectations at every turn. After serving four years in the Navy performing SWAT-like operations at sea, she discovered her passion for cooking during deployment. Though initially drawn to pastry work, she quickly realized her talents lay in savory culinary arts. When COVID-19 devastated her private chef business serving athletes and artists, Jessica pivoted brilliantly, resurrecting a biscuit recipe she'd spent three years perfecting earlier in her career.
With candid honesty, Jessica discusses the challenges of the culinary industry – from long hours to its historically male-dominated culture – while offering practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Her refreshing take: "You don't need school to own your own business. You can teach yourself, and as long as you have the passion for it, you can definitely conquer." Behind Biscuit Batch's success is not just Jessica's culinary expertise but her role as a mother to three children, including her daughter who's already creating innovative biscuit flavors for the menu.
Ready to experience these celebrated biscuits yourself? Visit Biscuit Batch at 9112 Old Battlefield Boulevard near the Spotsylvania courthouse, or connect on Instagram @biscuitbatch_VA. Jessica's story reminds us that behind every small business is a person with dreams and determination – something worth supporting with every delicious bite.
Jessica Wilkins
Biscuit Batch
biscuitbatch.com
Biscuitbva@gmail.com
+1 540-507-8028
9112 Old Battlefield Blvd Unit 112, Spotsylvania, VA, United States, Virginia
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of our favorite local brands. I'm excited to introduce you to my guest today. Jessica Wilkins of Biscuit Batch is here to join us on the podcast. Jessica, thank you. Well, I'm excited to dive in and learn all about you and your business. So let's start there Share with us a little bit about your business.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So I moved to Virginia about five and a half years ago as a chef. I had a private business, earth Apple, as a private chef and doing meal preps for athletes and professional artists. After COVID hit, it really affected my business because nobody wanted me to have them or have myself in their home, wanted me to have them or have myself in their home. So I was kind of at a roadblock and I had had this biscuit recipe that I worked on previously in my career and it was just kind of tucked away, one of those things that you work on and you know you master it and you're done with it. So I was like you know, I live in Virginia and everybody loves biscuits. You can smother it, top it like sandwich it anything. So obviously we all had a lot of time to think during COVID and I just kind of ran with it.
Speaker 2:Everybody loves a good biscuit.
Speaker 3:Everybody loves a good biscuit, and I had worked on the recipe for about three years previously before I tucked it away.
Speaker 2:They're hard to make. I have ruined many a biscuit.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, some people love them, some people hate them. There's no in between.
Speaker 2:Right, right. So tell us about the concept of Biscuit Batch.
Speaker 3:Yeah. So of course I wanted to have biscuit in the name. I wanted to be very straightforward what it is that I'm offering. Batch is sort of a play on words, batches of biscuits and just it sounded kind of catchy. When you're far away it kind of looks like something else for the grownups and then, but it's, you know, appropriate so I can serve at churches and all these other things. So I thought it was kind of fun, quirky. I wanted to kind of meet in the middle of elevated but still kind of down home comfort food.
Speaker 2:I love it.
Speaker 3:I love it.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome. So dive a little bit deeper into your journey. You mentioned you know kind of how you came up with the biscuit recipe and perfected that through COVID. But tell us a little bit about the backstory.
Speaker 3:So I was previously in the Navy. I was in the Navy for four years. I was a gas turbine mechanic and I also did VBSS, which was visit, board, search and seizure. It was basically like SWAT team at sea, so we would board other ships like terrorists. You know illegal things, stuff like that. My original plan was to follow in my parents' suit and join LAPD after being in the military.
Speaker 3:I sort of found my love for baking in the military while we were on deployment and I kind of wanted to try it out. So I worked with a pastry chef and realized that I hated working in pastry because it was a lot more than just cakes and cupcakes. It was a lot of very intricate decor and frosting and piping, chocolate work, all this stuff. And I just don't have the intricate detail and patience for that. So I was like you know what, let me try the culinary side and absolutely loved it. You can play so much more with the culinary, like savory side. Don't get me wrong. I still love baking, hence biscuits just not as a full time. I definitely have a very strong passion for food and the savory side. So I've been in the industry for about over I want to say, 15 years now that I've been in the culinary industry. I used my GI Bill to go to culinary school and I worked in every type of the industry that you can imagine.
Speaker 2:Amazing. Thank you for sharing that. What a contrast from military to where you are now.
Speaker 3:Yes, yeah, a lot of people look at me and they're they don't know my background and it's kind of funny and I don't mind it. It's just, you know, people think I'm some cute little baker girl and don't know things that I've done in the past.
Speaker 2:You're actually a badass.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it, yeah. So tell me, are there any myths that you've heard about your own life or misconceptions other than about you personally, about your business or the industry?
Speaker 3:I would say a big myth in the industry. It is a very hard industry to get into and to stay into. There's a lot of negative things, but I think it's starting to come out of that. I mean, coming up in the industry you work with it's long hours and you know it's really hard. So you come into alcoholics, drug users and a lot of angry people, chauvinistic men and, surprisingly, even though it's cooking, it is a man's industry. So having to, you know, leap that hurdle. Luckily I was an engineer before and I had already dealt with that, so this was almost like nothing. But it is a very fun industry if you have the passion for food. You know I tell people that food is my love language and it is Once you get me start talking. I can go on for hours. But I would say myth is it's a hard industry and, um, you can't get past it, but you definitely can.
Speaker 2:What advice would you give someone who might be thinking about either getting into the industry, or even someone who's thinking about starting a?
Speaker 3:business. That's a hard one.
Speaker 3:Something that I would give advice for is well one you don't need school. Everybody tells you you need a degree and all that. You can self-teach yourself. You can go around and ask other businesses what's their highs and their lows and sort of learn from them. There's a lot of really good, helpful people out there that are willing to teach you. Some don't want to share their info I don't know why, but you know there's some people out there like that. But you don't need school to own your own business. You can teach yourself and as long as you have the passion for it, then you can definitely conquer Great advice, yes.
Speaker 2:Thank you for that. Of course, so clearly, as a new business owner, you have got to be incredibly busy, so tell us when you're not working. What are you doing for fun?
Speaker 3:Well, on top of Biscuit Batch, I have three littles at home, oh my goodness. Yes, one is almost 11, one's almost five and my youngest just turned six months. So, yes, if I'm not working, I'm definitely with my children.
Speaker 2:You are very busy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, my hands are definitely full, but I wouldn't ask for it any other way yeah.
Speaker 2:Well, how cool is it, though, for them to grow up watching you starting your own business and you know, kind of I mean, what a great role model you are for them own business and you know, kind of I mean what a great role model you are for them.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and they do, they're I, they're my biggest supporters. My daughter she's always coming up with biscuit ideas and biscuit flavors and she actually came up with one I'm not going to say it yet because we're going to actually put it on the menu because I made a recipe for it and she's super excited for that and I don't think anybody's ever seen it in the world of biscuits. So I'm really excited how fun.
Speaker 3:And my son. He loves biscuits. He's always like did you bring me a biscuit home? Did you bring me a cinnamon roll?
Speaker 2:What pride they have it's really cool that's awesome. So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about?
Speaker 3:biscuit batch um, if they don't know already, I would say that I am a small business and I am still learning. You know people can be pretty harsh when it comes to businesses in general, let alone small businesses. People go to McDonald's and spend $40 on two meals no problem and they'll come here and spend $40 on two meals and write a negative review on what they're paying for and you know it hurts sometimes the reviews. It's hard not to take it to heart, but you can't please everybody and I know that I do what I think is best and try to adhere to the public as much as I can.
Speaker 3:But I think people definitely need to be reminded about small businesses and all of this came from me Like I didn't have any help. Nobody gave me anything Started from the ground up Recipes that I've done and tested over and over and over again. Spent hours doing we work long hours. You know our servers have lives too hours. You know our servers have lives too. We're short on staff sometimes. So we're doing the best that we can and, you know, trying to adhere to the standard that we are, but I'd say for all small businesses not getting the wrath of bad reviews.
Speaker 3:Granted they're due sometimes, but for the majority people can just be really nasty.
Speaker 2:It is so unfortunate, but I hope that you live off of those really, really outstanding positive reviews, because you are doing an amazing job. Thank, you.
Speaker 3:It's been pretty good. I say I have maybe one negative review on Google right now, but on Taste of Fredericksburg, the huge Facebook platform, I'd say I have a handful of negatives compared to the plethora of positives. So we're doing pretty good so far and I hope to stay in the positive light with the community.
Speaker 2:So you're doing fantastic, thank you. So if the listeners want to come visit you or connect with you, tell us where to find you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so we're at 9, 1, 1, 2 old battlefield battlefield boulevard If you're familiar with Spotsylvania, or right next or street next to the Spotsylvania courthouse, so we just say Spotsavini courthouse and people know where to find us. You can find me on Instagram at biscuitbatch, underscore VA. Facebook is biscuitblc. You can also search us on Google. We have our phone number listed. The website's on there. It has my email address, address address and all the information you'd need. We're still updating the website, though, so we're still haven't posted the menu, but we're getting there in the next few weeks. Awesome amazing.
Speaker 2:Well, congratulations on all your success, jessica, and thank you for joining me on the podcast today and sharing biscuit batch with us. I really appreciate it, thank you.
Speaker 3:thank you for joining me on the podcast today and sharing Biscuit Batch with us. I really appreciate it, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com. That's fxbgneighborspodcast. com, or call 540-534-4618.