EP #45 Flour, Grit, and Motherhood: The Recipe Behind Biscuit Batch

Ever wonder how a pandemic setback could transform into a delicious opportunity? Meet Jessica Wilkins, the force behind Biscuit Batch, who shares her fascinating journey from Navy gas turbine mechanic to comfort food entrepreneur on this episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast.

Jessica's story defies expectations at every turn. After serving four years in the Navy performing SWAT-like operations at sea, she discovered her passion for cooking during deployment. Though initially drawn to pastry work, she quickly realized her talents lay in savory culinary arts. When COVID-19 devastated her private chef business serving athletes and artists, Jessica pivoted brilliantly, resurrecting a biscuit recipe she'd spent three years perfecting earlier in her career.

With candid honesty, Jessica discusses the challenges of the culinary industry – from long hours to its historically male-dominated culture – while offering practical advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Her refreshing take: "You don't need school to own your own business. You can teach yourself, and as long as you have the passion for it, you can definitely conquer." Behind Biscuit Batch's success is not just Jessica's culinary expertise but her role as a mother to three children, including her daughter who's already creating innovative biscuit flavors for the menu.

Ready to experience these celebrated biscuits yourself? Visit Biscuit Batch at 9112 Old Battlefield Boulevard near the Spotsylvania courthouse, or connect on Instagram @biscuitbatch_VA. Jessica's story reminds us that behind every small business is a person with dreams and determination – something worth supporting with every delicious bite.

Jessica Wilkins

Biscuit Batch

biscuitbatch.com

[e-mail]

[phone]

9112 Old Battlefield Blvd Unit 112, Spotsylvania, VA, United States, Virginia

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
, the place where localbusinesses and neighbors come
together.
Here's your host, Dori Stewart.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to another episode of the
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, where we share the stories of
our favorite local brands.
I'm excited to introduce you tomy guest today.
Jessica Wilkins of BiscuitBatch is here to join us on the
podcast.
Jessica, thank you.
Well, I'm excited to dive inand learn all about you and your

(00:35):
business.
So let's start there Share withus a little bit about your
business.

Speaker 3 (00:40):
Yeah.
So I moved to Virginia aboutfive and a half years ago as a
chef.
I had a private business, earthApple, as a private chef and
doing meal preps for athletesand professional artists.
After COVID hit, it reallyaffected my business because
nobody wanted me to have them orhave myself in their home,

(01:08):
wanted me to have them or havemyself in their home.
So I was kind of at a roadblockand I had had this biscuit
recipe that I worked onpreviously in my career and it
was just kind of tucked away,one of those things that you
work on and you know you masterit and you're done with it.
So I was like you know, I livein Virginia and everybody loves
biscuits.
You can smother it, top it likesandwich it anything.
So obviously we all had a lotof time to think during COVID

(01:32):
and I just kind of ran with it.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Everybody loves a good biscuit.

Speaker 3 (01:36):
Everybody loves a good biscuit, and I had worked
on the recipe for about threeyears previously before I tucked
it away.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
They're hard to make.
I have ruined many a biscuit.

Speaker 3 (01:49):
Yes, yeah, some people love them, some people
hate them.
There's no in between.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Right, right.
So tell us about the concept ofBiscuit Batch.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah.
So of course I wanted to havebiscuit in the name.
I wanted to be verystraightforward what it is that
I'm offering.
Batch is sort of a play onwords, batches of biscuits and
just it sounded kind of catchy.
When you're far away it kind oflooks like something else for
the grownups and then, but it's,you know, appropriate so I can

(02:23):
serve at churches and all theseother things.
So I thought it was kind of fun, quirky.
I wanted to kind of meet in themiddle of elevated but still
kind of down home comfort food.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I love it.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
I love it.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Awesome, awesome.
So dive a little bit deeperinto your journey.
You mentioned you know kind ofhow you came up with the biscuit
recipe and perfected thatthrough COVID.
But tell us a little bit aboutthe backstory.

Speaker 3 (02:55):
So I was previously in the Navy.
I was in the Navy for fouryears.
I was a gas turbine mechanicand I also did VBSS, which was
visit, board, search and seizure.
It was basically like SWAT teamat sea, so we would board other
ships like terrorists.

(03:17):
You know illegal things, stufflike that.
My original plan was to followin my parents' suit and join
LAPD after being in the military.
I sort of found my love forbaking in the military while we
were on deployment and I kind ofwanted to try it out.

(03:37):
So I worked with a pastry chefand realized that I hated
working in pastry because it wasa lot more than just cakes and
cupcakes.
It was a lot of very intricatedecor and frosting and piping,
chocolate work, all this stuff.

(03:58):
And I just don't have theintricate detail and patience
for that.
So I was like you know what,let me try the culinary side and
absolutely loved it.
You can play so much more withthe culinary, like savory side.
Don't get me wrong.
I still love baking, hencebiscuits just not as a full time
.
I definitely have a very strongpassion for food and the savory

(04:22):
side.
So I've been in the industryfor about over I want to say, 15
years now that I've been in theculinary industry.
I used my GI Bill to go toculinary school and I worked in
every type of the industry thatyou can imagine.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
Amazing.
Thank you for sharing that.
What a contrast from militaryto where you are now.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
Yes, yeah, a lot of people look at me and they're
they don't know my backgroundand it's kind of funny and I
don't mind it.
It's just, you know, peoplethink I'm some cute little baker
girl and don't know things thatI've done in the past.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
You're actually a badass.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
I love it.
I love it, yeah.
So tell me, are there any mythsthat you've heard about your
own life or misconceptions otherthan about you personally,
about your business or theindustry?

Speaker 3 (05:24):
I would say a big myth in the industry.
It is a very hard industry toget into and to stay into.
There's a lot of negativethings, but I think it's
starting to come out of that.
I mean, coming up in theindustry you work with it's long
hours and you know it's reallyhard.

(05:45):
So you come into alcoholics,drug users and a lot of angry
people, chauvinistic men and,surprisingly, even though it's
cooking, it is a man's industry.
So having to, you know, leapthat hurdle.
Luckily I was an engineerbefore and I had already dealt

(06:06):
with that, so this was almostlike nothing.
But it is a very fun industryif you have the passion for food
.
You know I tell people thatfood is my love language and it
is Once you get me start talking.
I can go on for hours.
But I would say myth is it's ahard industry and, um, you can't

(06:29):
get past it, but you definitelycan.

Speaker 2 (06:33):
What advice would you give someone who might be
thinking about either gettinginto the industry, or even
someone who's thinking aboutstarting a?

Speaker 3 (06:42):
business.
That's a hard one.
Something that I would giveadvice for is well one you don't
need school.
Everybody tells you you need adegree and all that.
You can self-teach yourself.
You can go around and ask otherbusinesses what's their highs

(07:04):
and their lows and sort of learnfrom them.
There's a lot of really good,helpful people out there that
are willing to teach you.
Some don't want to share theirinfo I don't know why, but you
know there's some people outthere like that.
But you don't need school toown your own business.
You can teach yourself and aslong as you have the passion for
it, then you can definitelyconquer Great advice, yes.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
Thank you for that.
Of course, so clearly, as a newbusiness owner, you have got to
be incredibly busy, so tell uswhen you're not working.
What are you doing for fun?

Speaker 3 (07:42):
Well, on top of Biscuit Batch, I have three
littles at home, oh my goodness.
Yes, one is almost 11, one'salmost five and my youngest just
turned six months.
So, yes, if I'm not working,I'm definitely with my children.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
You are very busy.

Speaker 3 (08:05):
Yeah, my hands are definitely full, but I wouldn't
ask for it any other way yeah.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Well, how cool is it, though, for them to grow up
watching you starting your ownbusiness and you know, kind of I
mean, what a great role modelyou are for them own business
and you know, kind of I meanwhat a great role model you are
for them.

Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, and they do, they're I, they're my biggest
supporters.
My daughter she's always comingup with biscuit ideas and
biscuit flavors and she actuallycame up with one I'm not going
to say it yet because we'regoing to actually put it on the
menu because I made a recipe forit and she's super excited for
that and I don't think anybody'sever seen it in the world of

(08:46):
biscuits.
So I'm really excited how fun.
And my son.
He loves biscuits.
He's always like did you bringme a biscuit home?
Did you bring me a cinnamonroll?

Speaker 2 (08:57):
What pride they have it's really cool that's awesome.
So what is something that youwish the listeners knew about?

Speaker 3 (09:06):
biscuit batch um, if they don't know already, I would
say that I am a small businessand I am still learning.
You know people can be prettyharsh when it comes to
businesses in general, let alonesmall businesses.
People go to McDonald's andspend $40 on two meals no

(09:31):
problem and they'll come hereand spend $40 on two meals and
write a negative review on whatthey're paying for and you know
it hurts sometimes the reviews.
It's hard not to take it toheart, but you can't please
everybody and I know that I dowhat I think is best and try to

(09:54):
adhere to the public as much asI can.
But I think people definitelyneed to be reminded about small
businesses and all of this camefrom me Like I didn't have any
help.
Nobody gave me anything Startedfrom the ground up Recipes that
I've done and tested over andover and over again.

(10:16):
Spent hours doing we work longhours.
You know our servers have livestoo hours.
You know our servers have livestoo.
We're short on staff sometimes.
So we're doing the best that wecan and, you know, trying to
adhere to the standard that weare, but I'd say for all small
businesses not getting the wrathof bad reviews.

(10:40):
Granted they're due sometimes,but for the majority people can
just be really nasty.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
It is so unfortunate, but I hope that you live off of
those really, reallyoutstanding positive reviews,
because you are doing an amazingjob.
Thank, you.

Speaker 3 (10:56):
It's been pretty good .
I say I have maybe one negativereview on Google right now, but
on Taste of Fredericksburg, thehuge Facebook platform, I'd say
I have a handful of negativescompared to the plethora of
positives.
So we're doing pretty good sofar and I hope to stay in the

(11:17):
positive light with thecommunity.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
So you're doing fantastic, thank you.
So if the listeners want tocome visit you or connect with
you, tell us where to find you.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Yeah, so we're at 9, 1, 1, 2 old battlefield
battlefield boulevard If you'refamiliar with Spotsylvania, or
right next or street next to theSpotsylvania courthouse, so we
just say Spotsavini courthouseand people know where to find us
.
You can find me on Instagram atbiscuitbatch, underscore VA.

(11:51):
Facebook is biscuitblc.
You can also search us onGoogle.
We have our phone number listed.
The website's on there.
It has my email address,address address and all the
information you'd need.
We're still updating thewebsite, though, so we're still
haven't posted the menu, butwe're getting there in the next

(12:12):
few weeks.
Awesome amazing.

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Well, congratulations on all your success, jessica,
and thank you for joining me onthe podcast today and sharing
biscuit batch with us.
I really appreciate it, thankyou.

Speaker 3 (12:23):
thank you for joining me on the podcast today and
sharing Biscuit Batch with us.
I really appreciate it, thankyou.

Speaker 1 (12:26):
Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg
Neighbors Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go tofxbgneighborspodcast.
com.
That's fxbgneighborspodcast.
com, or call 540-534-4618.