Port Townsend And Jefferson County Leader:
Anca Hasson started experimenting with melting sugar when she was a girl growing up in Romania. She remembers rations of a half a kilogram - about a pound - of sugar per person a month. And the only nuts available were walnuts from local trees.
Today Hasson owns her own wholesale bakery business, Pastry Design by Anca.
It’s a one-woman show, and she’s just finished her first successful season with the Port Townsend Farmers Market, where she routinely sold out of baked goods such as pecan toscas, almond croissants and nut tarts with four kinds of nuts, including macadamia.
With the market now closed for the season, Hasson is focusing on serving other customers, including the Seven Cedars Casino, which carries her red velvet cake; the Port Ludlow Inn, which features her almond croissants for breakfast; Provisions and The Food Co-op, both of which carry items picked from her repertoire of about three dozen pastry choices. She also sells to Sunny Farms in Sequim and Mor Mor Bistro in Poulsbo.
In April, the 35-year-old mother of two bought the bakery equipment and rented space on Seton Road that Gunther Graf had had for years. A master chef who started Ferino’s Pizzeria in Port Hadlock, Graf also had sold his pastries at the farmers market. When he sold Hasson his equipment, he threw in some business tips as well.
“He gave me pointers about local people. He was really helpful overall with everything,” she said.
Hasson admired his skills as he showed her how he did things. “He’s fast. It was like he was 20 years old. It seemed like he was flying through the air with the dough,” she said.
What Hasson loves most about being a one-woman show is that “nobody tells you what to do.” That said, she also acknowledges that she has a lot of help from family, including supportive husband John, a chef on a tugboat who plans to get his master’s license. He both inspires her and supports her, she said.
“Where there’s a will there’s a way, he always tells me,” she said, noting that the two talk about flavors and enjoy coming up with ideas together.
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