Meet PCG Member – Ashley Anna Tuttle: From Bombs to Biscuits
PCG Professional Member Ashley Anna Tuttle, Food and Beverage Director of Community Matters Cafe, initiated her baking spark from the U.S. Army before joining the culinary field.
While working as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician until 2012, Ashley Anna started baking for her fellow soldiers and found a real passion for the craft.
“When I started baking for my fellow soldiers in the Army, the guys all said that the recipes brought back memories from home,” said Ashley Anna.
When it was time to move on from her position in the Army, Ashley Anna’s Captain suggested following her passion of baking and pastry. When she moved to Denver, CO, she began working at a local wholesale bread company during the 2am shift before heading off to her college classes. She attended Johnson & Wales in Denver and gained her Associate of Science in Baking and Pastry.
After moving to Charlotte to begin her Bachelors in Business at Johnson & Wales, she managed a local bakery while also working part-time at 300 East and Heritage with Ashley Bivens Boyd.
“Working with and becoming friends with Ashley Anna allowed me to witness the range of her strengths,” said 300 East Chef and Co-owner Ashley Bivens Boyd about her fellow PCG member. “She has serious technical skills, tremendous energy, fantastic attitude, a strong work ethic, desire for excellence on the plate, and is just such a fun presence in and out of the kitchen. She possesses a deep compassion for her teammates, her friends, and her community at large. She wants to be a positive force in our world.”
Before moving to the Community Matters Cafe, Ashley Anna also worked as the pastry chef with William Dissen at Haymaker where she continued to build her craft. Here, she also began her relationship with Freshlist. During this time, she met Ed Price (director of life skills at Community Matters Cafe) back at the “Sugar Shock” event where she and other area pastry chefs participated to raise money for Project 658.
“Ashley Anna was our opening pastry chef here at Haymaker where she helped create the menus and bread program,” shared PCG Member William Dissen, Chef at Haymaker. “We were sorry to lose her as a member of our team, but appreciate our continued collaborations. She is an important part of our growing Charlotte food community, and I am excited for her to continue to grow and spread her voice through good food.’’
She participated in other Charlotte-based food events during this time including a pop-up dinner at Catawba Brewery that benefitted PCG. She additionally volunteered at the Farm to Fork event in 2019.
When determining her next steps in her professional growth, Ashley Anna shared, “At the Community Matters Cafe, we have a unique niche in the industry that really appealed to me. As a non-profit organization, I really appreciated the culture of community in the Cafe.”
Community Matters Cafe is an extension of the Charlotte Rescue Mission, a residential recovery program helping those struggling with addiction. At the cafe, they focus their efforts on teaching students life skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and problem solving through the vessel of a restaurant and coffee shop. Ashley Anna is the Executive Pastry Chef, in addition to recently accepted the role as the Food and Beverage Director
Ashley Anna Tuttle joined the Piedmont Culinary Guild in February in 2019.
“I joined PCG to connect with other professionals in our region. PCG is a great way to connect with other culinarians and farmers, further supporting our local food network.”
“As the Charlotte Rescue Mission is new to the culinary industry, PCG has provided a great opportunity for the Cafe to reach farmers, culinarians, and guests,” says Ashley Anna. “It helps us showcase our dedication to local sustainability, while helping us support our growing business.”
“Before COVID hit, I really enjoyed hosting a book club at the Cafe for PCG Pro-members on the topic of selfcare. We really got a lot out of talking to each other in the industry about changing the current norm,” recalled Ashley Anna about her most recent PCG event she attended in person.
As COVID-19 has changed the restaurant industry, Ashley Anna really has appreciated being a Professional Member of Piedmont Culinary Guild. The Pro Member support Facebook Group has helped connect chefs, owners, etc. from home to try to be proactive to all the upcoming changes that would occur upon reopening. Other Pros have been able to collaborate through this PCG portal. Additionally, Ashley Anna felt supported through PCG as Executive Director, Kris Reid, set up a virtual meeting with the Health Department and Pro Members where they could discuss and ask questions of the Health Department before reopening.
This information allowed chefs and restaurants to be more knowledgeable during the current phase we are in.
“Recently, I have used my membership regularly to stay connected to changing regulatory information and other industry professionals experiencing similar struggles in these rapidly changing times.”
As Ashley Anna continues to grow Community Matters Cafe, she really prefers to showcase one ingredient in her desserts. She will let that one fruit, grain, or even vegetable take the lead to create the final composed product. She uses fellow PCG member, Freshlist, to get her local produce.
“Freshlist makes it easier for farmers to reach the chefs. When chefs have a busy work schedule, it’s hard to make it out to the farmer’s market every Saturday morning. The convenience makes it easier to support local farmers and products,” Ashley Anna said about Freshlist, run by PCG Professional Member Jesse Leadbetter.
On a greater scale, she believes it’s the responsibility of the industry professionals to be advocates for the food of our region, being the connection of local food to consumers and diners.
Through PCG, and Community Matters Cafe, she is able to help fulfill that responsibility.
Profile written by Kate Anderson
Community Matters Cafe
821 West 1st Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
Charlotte, NC 28202
