“We sold a lot of items out of that little glass case,” says Tammie. And, when Tammie and MJ simply ran out of room to keep up with all the orders, they opened their own bakery in the same plaza, using $70,000 of their own money to buy the best oven from France, which came with its own person to assemble it.

Now, with the trend in Phoenix moving towards the newly renovated and refurbished downtown area, Tammie and MJ are stepping into that arena as well. They have purchased a new loft in the Roosevelt Arts District. But these lofts are a little more special than the usual. Just like their baking, in a way. The Artisan Lofts, which are modern interpretations of the traditional street-front walk up, allow the owners to turn the bottom story into a retail space. Of course, Tammie and MJ couldn’t resist. Although they will keep their Arcadia location as their permanent bakery, the new space will be a small café which will sell their now famous breads and pastries while serving up Eli Coffee and Espresso. It, too, has become a sign for city leaders of the future success of the downtown area.

But for Coe, it still has to be about the basics.

“I believe in good ingredients and an understanding of how they fit and come together,” says Coe. “You can’t just add things, you have to know how the ingredients mix in a bowl, how they respond to one another. That’s a big part of it.