Rebecca Rather, Rather Sweet Bakery
A native Texan, Rebecca Rather makes the most of her Lone Star state's varied traditions, whether looking to the kitchens of Texas' Mexican and German immigrants or to the cowboy culture of her own forebears. Best of all, her recipes aren't fussy - one of her best-selling cakes stirs together in a single saucepan. Add in a cupful of Texas attitude and her made-from-scratch-with-love philosophy, and you've got an irresistible taste of American baking.
Rebecca began her career as a private caterer in Houston, before moving on to become pastry chef for Houston restaurateur Tony Vallone and his group of restaurants. After apprenticing with Daniel Leader, she worked as executive pastry chef for research and development for Schlotzsky's Bread Alone cafés. In 1999, she started her own business, Rather Sweet Bakery, in Austin. In 2001, she moved the bakery to the scenic Hill Country town of Fredericksburg, Texas, expanding to serve lunch daily and dinner on weekends. She has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies' Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, and Saveur, where she was among Saveur's 100 favorites for 2003.



