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Dana Pollack wasn't always known as "Dana" from Dana's Bakery. Formerly, the photo-editor of Muscle and Fitness magazine, Dana felt called to make a career shift and pursue her passion for baking. After completing her studies of fine baking and pastry arts at NYC's Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), Dana launched Dana's Bakery in 2012.
Morning Routine in 5 Words:
COFFEE. COFFEE. Feed the kids. Put on Lipstick. COFFEE
The best product you use in the morning:
Electric Toothbrush and tongue scraper. You’re doing it all wrong if you don’t have those two things for your oral health!
Who you spend your evenings with:
My husband and kids.
Favorite Work Outfit:
Band tee, cozy sweatshirt, leather jacket, jeans and sneakers
Go-To Coffee or Tea Order:
Grande Iced Americano, extra ice, two sugar in the raw. *EVERY MORNING*
The tv show or movie you always recommend:
TV Series: Game of thrones, Golden Girls. Fave Movie: Troop Beverly Hills, True ROmance, Better off Dead, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitters Dead, Cry Baby. And because I have to.... book recommendations: The entire ACOTAR and Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Mass, or the Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
The dish you make when you have friends over:
Dirty Martini or Aperol Spritz always. Does that count?
Bedtime Routine in 5 Words:
Beef Tallow (Yes, it's my fave beauty product! It has replaced *ALL* my fancy creams and serums). Magnesium, Cherry Juice, Colostrum and Audible. (I have a smutty romance book club. Want to join?!)
Favorite Vacation Destination:
Used to be LA, but is now most recently Disney World.
Favorite "fancy" Look (clothes, shoes, bags, jewels!):
Custom Brent Neale gold pinky ring I had made with my grandma's stones.
Favorite Show / Concert / Performer you’ve seen:
Iron Maiden, Metallica, RadioHead.
Favorite way to celebrate yourself:
Totally checked out, uninterrupted MASSAGE. OR having a delish cocktail and a fancy dinner by myself at a restaurant. I love my friends and family but I have always been one of those people who also loves to dine alone.
The best gift you’ve ever received:
My girls ♥️ Leni & Ella
Best Costume You've Worn:
PEG BUNDY, she is my spirit animal
Your most particular particular (the little thing you’re pickiest about!):
I hate when people scrape their teeth on their fork when eating.
Your Real Housewives Tagline:
Trust me… it tastes even better than it looks.
Socials: @itsdanapollack @danasbakery
Current Location: New York
Where You Work: Dana’s Bakery!! We have headquarters in NJ and NY!
You started your career as a photo editor at Muscle & Fitness Magazine. How did you decide to pivot from media to macarons? What did it take to take the leap and go out on your own as an entrepreneur?
Although working as a photo editor had its perks (and I have so many great stories from muscle and fitness magazine), something was just missing. I had always loved baking, food and culinary was my passion however i never thought about doing it for a living. Being the trigger happy person that I am, I decided to go for it and enroll in culinary school to get proper training and dive into the culinary world. While in school I also found a job at a NYC restaurant so I worked full days, nights and weekends getting my training as well as real life experience in the food industry. I Quickly realized that restaurant life was not for me. I also realized that I absolutely LOVED French Macarons but at the time, although they were becoming more popular and you could find them in a few cafe’s, everyone who was making them were making the same french flavors. I thought to myself, WE LIVE IN AMERICA. This macaron would be so much better if it were Red Velvet or S'mores instead of Lavender or Rose. That's how the concept was born! I started small, recipe testing and selling online only with local NYC deliveries that I would hand deliver myself. Because of my photo background and social media, word spread and I was getting requests to ship. The rest is history…
How much of Dana’s Bakery’s growth would you say is tied to your product’s incredible visual aesthetic? Your process TikToks are mesmerizing and it feels like the treats were made for Instagram… Was that always part of the plan?
It was never part of the plan. To be honest, I didn't have a plan when I started. however it is BECAUSE of these free social media tools and exposure that i was able to grow my brand and community. I also think that if i didn't have my background in photography our aesthetic wouldn't be what it is today.
A personal one… We love your rainbow black & whites. How on earth did you come up with the idea for these?
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I have always LOVED black and white cookies, but in true Dana’s Bakery fashion we had to put our own spin on the dessert. We do not do traditional flavors or desserts that you typically find at a bakery. Everything we also make is 100% gluten free. SO when making the black and white cookie it was necessary to have it be our take on it. That's where the rainbow comes in…
Who are a few other women entrepreneurs in the food space you admire?
I have a lot of love for any female entrepreneur, not just in the food industry but anyone who is juggling it all and making it happen. I have a group of female momtrepreneurs who I lean on and can call when I need to talk something through or just connect. Women who know what my daily struggles are because they deal with them as well. It is SO important to have that support system especially when you are juggling work, kids, family life, etc.
Aspen native, Brittany Van Domelen began working at O2 Aspen in 2011 as a manager and assistant buyer. Drawn to the unique idea of creating a “one stop shop” for all things fitness, fashion, and beauty - Brittany learned the ins and outs of the day-to-day operations of O2. When the opportunity to buy the O2 Aspen Studio and Spa came up in 2015, Brittany knew she couldn’t pass it up!
