Birmingham, Alabama: Putting People First

By Chanda Temple

Like many people working in the food industry, the pandemic delivered a one-two punch to Chanah Willis.

First, Willis left a bartending job in March 2020 during Covid-19. Then, Willis lost a pastry chef job at Urban Standard coffee shop when it closed in June 2020. Not to be deterred, Willis started baking out of her home.

A following grew from her homemade pies, biscuits and tarts, which Willis sold at a church market for six months. Recognizing her talent, a businessowner let her use a commercial kitchen for free, which allowed her to make more baked goods and sell them wholesale to prepare for an even bigger future.

In 2021, Willis found an empty space at 213 25th Street North to open her bakery. It took about a year and a half to build it out. It had previously been a carpenter studio. But for Willis and her fans, the wait was worth it.

The doors to Last Call Baking Co. opened in November 2022, and ever since, patrons have been lining the sidewalk to get freshly-made croissants and desserts. One of her most popular dishes is the potato tart, which people have “lost their mind over,’’ Willis said.

Willis soaks the potatoes overnight in crème fraiche, roasted garlic, salt, pepper and wild green onion. Then, she puts the mixture into a homemade pie crust. She bakes the pie for 90 minutes. Her team usually makes three pies a day, selling 24 slices within an hour.

“Each potato is perfectly layered. It’s soooo good,’’ said Willis, 26. “I love potatoes. I didn’t think people would love potatoes the way that they love (these) potatoes.’’

But getting to this point wasn’t easy. Willis experienced challenges inside and outside the kitchen, including tweaking recipes, navigating the wholesale arena and selecting the right type kitchen equipment to buy. There were many pivots along the way.

“It felt like you hit the ground running, you can’t stop running, and you’re just really, really sore all the time,’’ Willis said. “From 2020 to 2022, there were, like, so many blows. You can’t quit. I really didn’t want to.’’

Last Call Baking Co. is a play on words for whenever Willis used to shout, “last call’’ during her bartending days before closing for the evening. Those two words resonate with baked goods, too.

“I feel like the concept of ‘Last Call’ is really loved eternally: You only have one time to enjoy it, so you might as well enjoy it as soon as possible,’’ Willis said.

Today, Willis not only serves customers at her bakery, but she also makes pastries for several Birmingham-area coffee shops, including the June coffee shop, which is two doors down from her. Last Call is open Wednesday – Friday, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Willis’ excitement of running her five-employee business, comes as the City of Birmingham’s Office of Innovation and Economic Opportunity prepares to celebrate Small Business Week, which will take place April 30-May 6. Each day, the city will host an event to empower or enrich established and burgeoning small businesses.

Said Willis: “From an economic standpoint, small business is a necessity, and it’s the bread and butter of small communities. To me, supporting small business is supporting your community.’’

Monique Shorts, senior program manager for the city’s Office of Business Diversity and Opportunity, said small business owners such as Willis take more risk every day than many people do in a lifetime.

“They are resilient. They are innovators They are adventurers. And we want the passion that they have, in our city,’’ said Shorts. “ We want other small business owners to purse their dreams just like Willis, and they should join us during Small Business Week. All sessions are free.’’

To register for the city’s Small Business Week, visit www.bhmup.com. For more information on small business resources, visit www.birminghamal.gov/bhmup.

For more information on the bakery, visit www.lastcallbakingcompany.com.