‘Bread Lady’ Ain’t In It for the Dough

by Mike Barone

Danielle Boudet ’98 grew up just 30 miles from Hartwick College in Norwich, N.Y. Little did she know that this neighboring institution would one day send her 3,600 miles across the Atlantic — and change her life’s course.

As the first in her family to attend college, Boudet didn’t begin with a firm plan. She majored in art with a focus on painting and photography. She adjusted well, made new friends and enjoyed her independence.

“The Art Department was very encouraging,” she recalls. “They taught you to find and try new things…think outside the box.”

So, when an opportunity came to study in the Netherlands during her junior year J Term, she took advantage of it.

Her courage would be rewarded — with a husband, a family and, eventually, a career.

“I lived in a student apartment complex, and someone on my floor was a friend of this astrophysics student, Martijn,” she says.

The two began dating, despite the distance. He visited her at Hartwick, and she moved to The Netherlands after graduation. They got married and they stayed until he finished his master’s degree.

Boudet then wanted a graduate degree of her own, which was more affordable in New York, so they moved back to the U.S. She had just earned her master’s in fine arts from the University at Buffalo in 2002 when, suddenly, Hartwick called her home.

“One of my drawing professors decided to stop teaching and recommended me to take her place,” Boudet explains. “So, we moved back to Central New York, and I taught drawing and design.”

Her husband landed an IT job with a local insurance company, and they had two children. Boudet eventually stopped working to raise their family. However, while she missed the working world somewhat, she found herself missing something from the Netherlands even more: their bread.

“There’s a huge bread culture in Europe — healthy, delicious, substantial breads, and there was just nothing like it around here,” she reflects. “I said, ‘I want that bread,’ so how do I make it?’ It was very personal for me in the beginning.”

As her kids grew and she had more time, Boudet began baking more. There were many trials and failures, but she began perfecting her techniques. Soon, family and friends made her realize her talent was worth sharing.

Boudet started selling products at the nearby New Berlin Farmers’ Market and was an instant success. She quickly became known as “The Bread Lady,” a moniker she embraced.

Boudet would arrive with close to 40 sandwich breads, dozens of French baguettes and boules, and an everchanging assortment of pastries, cookies, muffins, cinnamon buns, and other sweet treats. And every week, they would sell out — not just for their superior taste and unique styles, but their beauty as well.

For Boudet, baking is a creative outlet too. She draws on her artistic training to create foods that are as enjoyable to view as they are to eat. Her breads and rolls have wheat, leaf and floral designs stenciled on their tops. Her cakes are even more intricate, with fruit, ribbon and floral designs cascading down their tiers. She also takes great care in the lighting, sets and backgrounds she builds to showcase her products on social media.