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The second location of Whisk is at 8308 Staples Mill Road. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Whisk owner Billy Bryan (Photo courtesy Whisk)
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An apple caramel streusel pastry from Whisk (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The new location has expanded offerings including salads, sandwiches and, soon, soups. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The West End outpost is four times the size of the original Shockoe Bottom bakery. (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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Macarons, seven-layer cookies and a chocolate chunk cookie from Whisk (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
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The exterior of the new Whisk location (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
Labor Day marked a new milestone for a local purveyor of sweet treats: French-inspired bakery Whisk celebrated the opening of its second location, at 8308 Staples Mill Road.
Making its debut in Shockoe Bottom in 2015, the pink-branded bakery is now selling customer favorites such as its enormous macarons and flaky croissants alongside an extended menu of salads, in addition to sandwiches served on housemade baguettes and other breads.
“We had people asking daily when we would come to the West End, so it has been on my radar for a while,” says Whisk owner Billy Bryan, who purchased the bakery from original proprietor Morgan Botwinick in March. “The location is central to Lakeside, Glen Allen, Short Pump and Willow Lawn. Most anyone can get here in little time, and there is plenty of parking.”
Four times the square footage of its sister bakery, the second outpost offers increased production space, making it easier for the bakery to keep up with its high demand. At the Shockoe shop, Bryan says, “Even after 12 hours of baking, we were still selling out of everything, and the waiting list for people to get dates booked for weddings and birthdays was growing.”
Bryan gained a love for French-style pastries while living in New York. Previously working in marketing, he was required to travel for his job, and it allowed him to spend ample time in France. “There’s actually nothing better than a hot baguette from a local boulangerie [bakery] fresh out of the oven,” he says. “There is so much involved with the art of French-style pastries, and it’s fascinating. People work years to perfect it.”
Bryan, a Lunenburg native, landed in Richmond in 2008. He says the defining details of French desserts are the creams and fillings, citing macarons as an example. Whisk has become known as a destination for the sweet, meringue-based confections, launching a monthly Macaron Membership club. “Members receive six very unique macarons based on a theme,” Bryan says. “One month was dedicated to endangered species,” he adds, encouraging customers to check out the pictures posted to the bakery’s Instagram.
Bryan’s relationship with Whisk began long before he took on the role of owner. Living in the Shockoe Bottom neighborhood, he became a regular of the bakery and knew it was a business he wanted to be involved with. Originally, he says, he was looking for a small kitchen space, not retail.
“I had contacted a business broker who said he had a small retail business [up for sale] that wasn’t being marketed. Once I saw that it was Whisk, I knew that was where I was meant to be,” Bryan says.
Since purchasing Whisk, Bryan works to uphold the standard of offering a warm and welcoming environment in each location. “We will still continue to provide the same top-quality product and customer service,” he says.
The bakery’s community ties are also reflected through philanthropy. “We work with a program called Blessing Warriors. At least once a month, we provide meals for the homeless,” Bryan says. The business also partners with Recipe for a Change, a local initiative that aims to help disadvantaged individuals by placing them in bakery training programs.
The menu at Whisk has remained the same since the transition in ownership, with minor adjustments and additions, from updated technology to a digital customer rewards program and a machine that can engrave words and phrases on macarons (offered at both locations).
Whisk is sourcing all of its milk and other dairy products from Richlands Dairy in Blackstone, not too far from where Bryan grew up. “It costs a little more,” he says, “but the importance of supporting local businesses makes it worth it, as well as the quality of the products that we are serving to our customers.”
The expanded menu at the West End Whisk features sandwiches such as The Parisian, ham and Swiss on a baguette with mustard butter, and Billy’s Pimento Cheese — a family recipe — served with slices of tomato on a choice of bread. Salads range from the Farmstead Cobb to Billy’s Favorite, made with chicken, mixed greens, feta, grapes, pecans, dried cranberries and a blood orange-shallot vinaigrette.
Bryan adds that he has slowly incorporated recipes of his own into the menu, such as the Italian seven-layer cookie, and plans to introduce more in the future. On Oct. 1, the West End location will introduce soups to its lineup. The company has been working on a new product line and a possible move into wholesale, he says; stay tuned for more details.
The West End location of Whisk is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
