Meet PCG Member – Thea Pisa – Baking Brings Out the Pleasures in Life

For a girl who grew up in San Francisco, went to culinary school in Hawaii, and lived all over before moving to North Carolina, PCG Member Thea Pisa has finally settled into where she’s supposed to be. Pisa, the baker and owner behind Lil Rebel Bakery, and the new Director of Baking at Summit Coffee Company, believes that good food holds the connection between people and experiences.

Pisa grew up with an undeniable love for food – specifically, sweets, sugar and bread. Growing up, she would frequent bakeries with her dad throughout San Francisco. At 4:00 every afternoon, she and her father would enjoy scones, biscotti, or cookies over tea time. Now, due to many of those warmhearted memories that brought her happiness, Pisa has made a fulfilling career out of baking.

“I love sugar because of its ability to cheer you up and make you happy,” she shares. “If you’re having a bad day, go eat something sweet. It makes you happy, it makes other people happy. That’s why I love it so much,” Pisa states jokingly.

When Pisa was living in Hawaii, she taught herself how to bake. She remembers taking some of her homemade goods into the restaurant she worked in, and baking and delivering goodies to friends. Eventually, with some encouragement, she decided to enroll in Culinary School. “While I’ve always had a love for baking, when I went to cooking school, I didn’t even know how to cook rice,” she said jokingly. “I didn’t like cooking. Now, years later, I love it. But, baking is my real passion. I enjoy the science behind it. The cookies, donuts and desserts – those are the fun things for me.”

When asked about her baking style and philosophies, Pisa smiles and says, “It’s not stuff out of the ordinary, but it has to taste really really good.” She credits some of her ideas and inspiration to her father’s Scottish culture and fond memories with him as a child. “I have an appreciation for the finer pastry chef stuff, but I prefer rustic homemade things,” she says. “My French Macarons are the fanciest things I make.”

“There’s nothing more fulfilling than baking for others and making people feel good about the food they eat. My work probably won’t ever be in Bon Appetit, but it will always taste good. If it doesn’t taste good, I won’t sell it.”

Pisa is a big supporter of local agriculture, and loves including local products into her baked goods whenever possible. She’ll use zucchini grown from local farmers for her bread, and local fruits and farm raised eggs when she can. If you catch her at the Matthews Farmers Market on Saturdays with Lil Rebel Bakery, you may be lucky enough to sample her esteemed macarons. “The macarons have a cult following,” she says, laughing. “I’m very proud of my macarons. They are the prettiest things I make.”

Pisa changes her macarons based on how she feels and the seasons. Some of her past favorites include white chocolate lavender, honey lavender, brown butter pecan, chocolate chip cookie dough cookie monster, and crème brûlée.

She’s also known for her zucchini bread, lemon poppyseed cake (in the summer), and her oatmeal raisin cookies.

Though it was a transition to go into a new job after owning her own business for a year, Pisa is enjoying the new challenges and creativity in her role as the Director of Baking for Summit Coffee Company.

She speaks highly of the toast creations you can find at The Outpost location on the Davidson College campus, such as the Blue Lagoon with greek yogurt, fresh pickled blueberries, and honey on Carolina Artisan Bread.

“I’m the type of person who is super passionate about what I do. It’s easy for me to put in 12-hour days without noticing. When you do something you love, it’s true that you never work a day in your life.”

Pisa also has a one-year-old, so managing time with him is important too. When she’s not at Summit or the Matthews Farmers Market, you can find her playing with her son, or spending time in the kitchen, cooking, cleaning, or photographing food. “I’m never not doing something with food. The connection runs deep,” she jokes.

Pisa saw the value in a PCG Membership after several farmers and market vendors kept speaking its praises. They encouraged her to join, to be part of the community to stay aware of events and things like that. Pisa joined in November and looks forward to taking advantage of the full membership this year. She appreciates keeping up with changes in weather and agriculture, knowing what’s going on in the community as it relates to produce and things that may influence her baking, and having support through local events and online forums.

She looks forward to continuing to form and strengthen relationships through her PCG Membership.

What’s next for the bubbly twenty-seven-year-old? Eventually, she may want to take her original business, Lil’ Rebel Bakery, to a storefront. For now, though, it will remain her fun side gig, where you can find her baked goods weekly at the Matthews Farmers Market.

“No matter what, I just want to continue to enjoy what I do, like I am now,” she says with a smile.

Profile written by Sarah Schlichter