“Flour Power.” For Moxie Bread Company, that means baked goods made with organic heirloom wheat flour. Perhaps the most important ingredient is a healthy dose of love. Check out the shot of owner Andy Clark and wife Pippa. When I snapped this photo, they hadn’t seen each other for nearly 15 MINUTES.
Andy spent many successful years in the corporate food world. But he yearned to get back to his “kneads” — that is making people happy by serving tasty, healthy food. As a result, Moxie Bread Company was born. That was five years ago. Downtown Louisville has never been the same.
Spreading love through food is the essence of what Moxie is all about. A case can be made that Moxie’s customers have never been in need love more than right now. In the midst of this global nightmare, picking up comfort food from Moxie is better — and cheaper — than a session with your online therapist. The easiest photo to capture in this series has been the line outside Moxie. There is always someone there. Good weather, bad weather — someone is always up for Moxie. Having friendly, dedicated employees helps. Having a little moxie doesn’t hurt.
That does not mean that this titanic change in our world has been easy for Andy, Pippa and the friendly folks at Moxie. Long ago, Andy learned the humbling lesson that it is not about what he wants to cook — it’s about what customers want to eat. “Adapting is paramount,” says Andy. “We want to serve people the way they like to be served.”
Andy, Pippa and team have pivoted — and pivoted hard. With safety of customers and employees in mind, they established separate ‘order’ and ‘pickup’ windows. The menu also was updated. In addition to selling pastries, coffee and great sandwiches, Moxie added dinner items like lasagna and pot pies. Andy says comfort food are ‘selling like hot cakes.” If Moxie sold hot cakes, my bet is that they would ‘sell like hot cakes.” Comfort food sells well, because we can all use a little comfort.
In spite of the pandemic, Moxie is faring well. But Andy realizes that Moxie is not an island in downtown Louisville. Looking down Main Street is a grim reminder of the times. “Our hearts goes out to the other businesses in downtown,” says Andy. “It hurts to see them struggling.”
So, in these historic days, “flour power” has new meaning in downtown Louisville. In the midst of the worst pandemic in a century, Moxie continues to attract hungry and thirsty souls from Boulder County and beyond. Andy and team will continue to approach each day by “trying to spread seeds of happiness.” He says: “We are trying to give back a positive outlook for our community — at this time when it needs it most.”
Moxie Bread Company
641 Main Street
https://moxie-bread-co.square.site
