It's an impressive feat for a pastry chef to get their name into the public consciousness, especially if it isn't already on a bakery in town. Amanda Rockman has done things backwards, gaining name recognition first and adding it to a building second, but after two decades in the restaurant industry the time has finally come: Her name will grace the side of Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop, her first-ever solo bakery and coffee shop opening this fall.
One of CultureMap's Pastry Chef of the Year nominees for multiple years at the Tastemaker Awards, Rockman is a cornerstone of the pastry world, especially for New Waterloo, the hospitality group that operates the South Congress Hotel, Maie Day, Sway, Otoko and Watertrade, La Condesa, and several other local spots. She frequently appears at events and festivals, and now she's condensing works from that wide sphere of influence into one building at 2400 East Cesar Chavez, Suite 200.
"It’s a lot of pressure to be honest," says Rockman, referring to the shift from supporting teams to going solo. "I literally put my name on the building (in big green letters, no less). I could spend my days thinking about how this and that could go wrong, but I am focusing my efforts on the things that I know I can control: the culture, the hospitality, and making tasty food."
A release about the new venture divides that latter responsibility into five "pillars:" caffeine, gluten, sugar, butter, and booze. That's a wide scope to start, but Rockman's career until now has been nothing if not versatile. Among the more than 20 daily offerings will be: laminated pastries like croissants — both sweet and savory — "rip and dip bagels" with non-standard smears, cookies, cakes, focaccia sandwiches, other desserts, coffee, and tea.
One of the goals of the new bakery is to provide something outside of the ordinary, and some hard-to-find items are helping fulfill that. Items setting the business apart from other local bakeries include:
- Chocolate chip cookies with halva (a confectionery often made with tahini, sesame paste)
- Cream cheese with flavors as diverse as French onion and NY cheesecake
- Churro croissants
- Craquelin (crispy cream puffs)
- Snails
Rockman's bagels can be paired with a variety of creative and traditional "smears."Photo courtesy of Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop
On the beverage side, guests can look forward to a full coffee bar featuring La Colombe and house made syrups; shareable cocktail carafes containing unique Rockman recipes; and wine, beer, and nonalcoholic treats like lemonade and teas.
Guests are welcome to grab something and go at a pickup window, but there are plenty of opportunities to hang out. There are 30 seats dotted around tables, a bar, and a lounge area. The layout encourages curiosity in the adjacent baking space, where guests can watch the team work.
With all these options flying around, Rockman says her priorities are consistent products, a comfortable space, and an empowered team.
"When people come to Rockman, I want them to feel how much we care," she says. "We care about each baked good we make, each espresso we pull, and even the boxes we built to put their pastries to-go in. Everything about Rockman has an intention, but [the concept] isn’t so precious where you couldn’t come everyday and treat yourself to a croissant and coffee."
Of course she's put personal twists on all that too, including the daily playlist, which is inspired by 90’s grunge and alt-rock. She also helped design the interior in collaboration with San Antonio-based architect Bengie Daniels of Latitude Architects.
Although it's a broad concept, it's still reasonably ambitious compared to other local efforts. Austinites have shown a major interest in similar places, keeping broad-intentioned spots like Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden and Radio Coffee & Beer strongly in business over the years, which both opened grandiose new spots in 2023. They also showed keen interest in pastry chef Margarita Kallas-Lee's Wolf and Wheat — a similar concept gathering the greatest hits of a chef with many hats — when it opened in October.
Considering her success until now and the trendiness of the idea, Rockman shouldn't worry too much about her big, green name.
"Sure, I could stumble being a new owner, but as long as I put my team and guests first, I think I will be alright!" she says. "I am just so excited to bake and bring Austin this plethora of baked goods and some items that don't exist here!"
More information about Rockman Coffee + Bakeshop is available on Instagram. The shop is hiring now; Interested applicants should email hello@rockmanatx.com.
