Special to the American
In 1977, Lawrence Moore and his family sat glued to their television set along with the rest of America to watch the landmark min-series Roots. Moore’s mother made a habit of baking special desserts on evenings when she wanted her family to watch certain television programs together in their Maffitt Avenue home in North St. Louis. Some of her specialties included peach cobbler, lemon meringue pie and brownies.
“Her brownies were my favorite,” said Moore, age 40, now president and CEO of St. Louis-based The Brownie Factory.
Moore will be selling his specialty brownies for the first time ever at this year’s Gypsy Caravan, the annual Memorial Day event, where hundreds of vendors come together to create one of the Midwest’s largest antique, craft and flea markets on a parking lot at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
How Lawrence Moore went from a lover of brownies to opening his own brownie business has an element of divine inspiration.
Over the years, he would bake his own special recipe brownies for family and friends. But five years ago, The Way of Life Church in Soulard, to which Moore belongs, needed to raise money. Moore fired up his oven and started cranking out his brownies. He sold enough to make a sizeable donation to the fundraising campaign.
After tasting some of Moore’s sweet treats, a friend of his suggested starting a business. “After a year of experimenting with recipes, and gaining 25 pounds in the process, I was ready to go into business for myself,” Moore said.
He developed a business plan, and applied to the small business incubator program, a joint program of the St. Louis Development Corporation in the City of St. Louis and the St. Louis County Economic Council. These incubators provide a nurturing environment for local emerging businesses during the critical start-up phase.
Moore’s business plan was accepted, and The Brownie Factory began doing business in early 2007 at the St. Louis Enterprise Center-Midtown, at 3830 Washington Ave., where he shares kitchen facilities with other incubator start-ups.
Moore says his is a “gourmet” brownie company. Each brownie is made by hand using only the finest quality natural ingredients, like chocolate, butter, pure vanilla extract and unbleached, unbromated flour – and absolutely no preservatives. “We call them brownies for the passionate,” says Moore. “They are not, however, brownies for the weight-conscious.”
Some of The Brownie Factory’s unique flavors include Coffee Almond Fudge, Coffee Chocolate Raspberry and the Turtle Cheesecake Brownie, which features a half-inch of cheesecake on top and a creamy, fudge-like texture on the bottom.
Moore’s two biggest customers are Busch Stadium, where his gourmet delights can be found in the deluxe suites, and Whole Foods stores. His brownies are so popular, he ships them to loyal customers in California, Arizona, Michigan and on the East Coast. Locally, he’ll deliver them for just about every kind of function including corporate meetings, holiday gatherings and baby showers.
For now, Moore continues to run his business out of the incubator center on Washington Avenue with his wife Otecka, his business manager Steven Mitchell and four employees. “My dream is to own a high-end dessert restaurant someday,” Moore says.
Moore heard about the Gypsy Caravan opportunity from his wife, who thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase his gourmet treats. “Initially, I was told there was a waiting list to be a vendor, but because of some cancellations, I made it into this year’s event. It’s my first Gypsy Caravan, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The 36th Annual Gypsy Caravan takes place on Monday May 26, from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. (rain or shine) at UMSL. Admission is $5, and children under 12 are free. Proceeds benefit the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s outreach and music education programs for children and adults. The Symphony participates in more than 250 free community events each year. For more information, visit www.gypsycaravan-stl.org.
For more information on The Brownie Factory, visit www.browniefactory.com or call 314-318-0300.