Assistant Baker/Chief Decorator at Little Red Fox Follows Dream To create Flour Flowers Full-Time

The Meat & Potatoes

Name

Kandis Smith

Age

27

Hometown

Suffolk, VA

Hangry Cure

Multi-component meals for bite excitement:
Ramen, Fajitas, Rice Bowls, etc.

Hidden Talent

I maintain that if given the opportunity, I could be a world class sword fighter.

Kandis Smith, Chief Decorator and Assistant Baker at the Little Red Fox in Washington, DC, has become one of my all-time favorite people in the food industry and my most recent Hangry Hero.  We both share a casual, care-free attitude about life and prefer to be ourselves at all times.  Kandis always has a smile on her face and exudes a contagious enthusiastic energy, while appreciating crude humor and a perfectly placed curse word. She has followed her dream of working full-time covered in flour to craft flowers made of buttery crust, and she makes it look SO EASY.

The world of pastry is a foreign territory for me, but with Kandis' inspiration I have been crafting some pies of my own to try and achieve her pie greatness.  Baby steps.  Kandis stepped out of her comfort zone in the corporate world to pursue happiness.  She took risks and stayed motivated with active persistence to get her foot in the door of the pastry industry.  At 27 years old, her story inspires me.  We should all be as ambitious as Kandis and stop at nothing to achieve our goals.  Check out my story on girl crush Kandis Smith:

What is your favorite thing to eat at the Little Red Fox?

I can't pick just one thing. I really love Matt's Pork Vindaloo, Bobby's ratatouille, and Lauren's brown butter financiers. Those are the first three things that came to mind.

When You're Hangry, what cures you?

I like things with a lot of components so I can have a lot of different bites. Like ramen or fajitas or rice bowls.

Where/Who did you learn to bake from?

From the amazing women who gave me opportunities to learn when I had no experience outside of my home kitchen. Jenna at Whisked! (whose quiches we sell at Little Red Fox) was actually my first boss, when I quit the corporate world, and then I interned/worked for Tiffany MacIsaac at Neighborhood Restaurant Group after that, where I had the chance to work on a large range of projects that really broadened my repertoire. I'm still learning new things every day. Mainly from Lauren [Parlato, head baker at Little Red Fox]. She knows everything.

What is your favorite kind of pie to eat? Can you teach me how to make croissants? :)

Another hard decision. I like any pie with chocolate, my mom makes a chocolate chess pie that will probably forever be my favorite. And yes, I can teach you how to roll croissants, especially if you want to come roll them for me every day.

How much butter do you use a day?

Everything we make is small batches, so probably not as much as you would think compared to other bakeries. I'd say like 6-10 pounds.

I know you make custom pies, is there one particular custom pie that stands out as your favorite or a masterpiece that you're most proud of?

Favorites are hard for me because I really get excited about every pie I make. As far as custom pies go, I made a "Happy F****** Birthday" pie for one of the baristas that is high on the list. The Tree of Life pie has come a LONG way and is probably the design that I've worked on the most and am the most proud of.

What is your hidden talent?

I have really excellent hand-eye coordination. Even though I'm the most un-athletic person ever, I'm really good at hitting baseballs and throwing footballs. I maintain that if given the opportunity, I could be a world class sword fighter. Also, parallel parking.

Learn more about Kandis by listening to my interview with her by clicking the YouTube video above!  Also, go get yourself a pie right meow!

Evolution of Pie...

"PIES. ALL. DAY." -Kandis Smith

Kandis has crafted pies for me for every major milestone - she will literally create anything you can dream up out of buttery crust and top your tasty pie with it. You can order your pies from the Little Red Fox by calling in an order or placing one in person at their market in DC, where you can watch her in action! We need more pie super heroes - I'm so glad I know this one. Thanks, Kandis!

★★★