Oak Cliff bakery Rush Patisserie pivots to custom sweets business after storefront accident

Change is imminent, and sometimes very quickly. While restaurants were on a roller coaster ride during COVID-19, Samantha Rush of Rush Patisserie in Oak Cliff has apparently never left her place.

May 2021, just as the industry was experiencing a business boom, a Range Rover crashed through the brick wall of her shop window. She closed the store while moving into an off-site kitchen to fill orders. Now Rush is considering which move, both business and personal, will best serve the times ahead. And despite the chaos and her nickname, she takes the time to do it.

Bittersweet is probably the best way to describe Rush’s pandemic journey. During the many months of devastation, many relied on sweet treats.

“We honestly didn’t stop at all during COVID,” says Rush. “We’ve just swung around in terms of hours and operation.”

Everything came to a standstill with the accident, however, a week before one of the busiest times for their business since the pandemic. “It happened on the evening of Cinco de Mayo,” says Rush. “I’m getting a call from an odd number. I don’t usually answer really odd numbers, especially after hours. It turned out to be a call from the fire department saying, ‘There’s a Range Rover in your shop.’ “

Samantha Rush owns the Rush Patisserie in Oak Cliff.(J McClure Photography)

In addition to Rush Patisserie, which has been in business for 14 years, Samantha acquired Trailercakes a few years ago and had both businesses out of business.

“We’ve had break-ins before, but when you see a truck go through the brick wall of your store and everything in it is moving around and jostling around a car, there was a lot of emotion,” she says. “But there really wasn’t anything I could do about it.”

It took about a month for the accident to set in at Rush. She also sought help from Tida Pichakron of Haute Sweets Patisserie, who had a similar accident last November when a car crashed through her kitchen.

“You don’t want to just turn it off,” says Rush. “I was just trying to figure out how we could assume it? I sought advice from friends and had many conversations. What are my options available? What will Rush Patisserie and Trailer Cakes look like in six months? “

Ultimately, Rush was unable to save the storefront. Despite its closure, both Rush Patisserie and Trailercakes are still open for business. The Rush Patisserie model, operated from a communal kitchen near the store, has grown into a more custom shop. In addition, their wholesale store brings a selection of breakfast pastries such as muffins, butter croissants, pain au chocolat, and scones to local locations such as Drip Coffee, Foxtrot Market, and Manhattan Beer Project.

Trailercakes fans don’t have to worry either, because the infamous Airstream is still used for private events and pop-ups. Since the acquisition, Rush has had fan favorites like the Oreo-based Cookie Monster, Hitched – a white cake and vanilla frosting cupcake – and the Slap Your Momma Chocolate; Keep the basic Knox flavor profiles, but tweak some recipes.

“I wanted to reduce the sugar content of things as much as possible,” says Rush. “Also, some of the buttercreams we use have changed. So far, the adjustments we have made have been well received. “

As for the future of Rush Patisserie, Rush is in no rush to make concrete decisions about the future of the brand.

“For a few years now, I’ve been thinking about optimizing the Rush Patisserie concept,” she says. “Sometimes things are a blessing, maybe this is the time to do that and maybe contain it a little.

“Personally, I have a mother who is getting older and is not in the same town as me,” she adds. “Maybe there is a way to tweak it that will buy me some time with it. I have probably not been on vacation in nine years. It was a very difficult time, but I also think it was a time when you tried to repeat yourself and to grow. “

Rush Patisserie, 1201 El Dorado. rushpatisserie.com. trailercakes.com.

Samantha Rush owns the Rush Patisserie in Oak Cliff.(J McClure Photography)

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