Bar & Batter Blends Culinary Creativity with a Foundation for Business Growth
With support from Maryland MEP and Nebraska MEP’s Recipe to Reality program, Bar & Batter gained a clear picture of what it will take to bring alcohol-infused desserts to the commercial market.
From Kitchen Craft to Cottage Bakery
Founder Robert Carroccetto, known as Chef Rob, moved from New York to Annapolis’s Eastport neighborhood in 2021. He found a community whose support for independent businesses reflected his own family’s small-business roots.
Trained in Baking and Pastry Arts at The Culinary Institute of America and in hospitality at Johnson & Wales University, Chef Rob built his career in French patisseries, cocktail bars, fine-dining restaurants, private clubs, and luxury hotels. Today, Bar & Batter is a cottage bakery specializing in handcrafted, alcohol-infused desserts such as bourbon, brown butter, and bacon-flavored chocolate chip cookies, espresso martini cookies with Kahlúa icing, and orange olive oil cake with a Cointreau glaze.
Understanding the Path to Commercial Production
As Bar & Batter grew, Chef Rob began looking beyond the recipe to what commercial production would require. Maryland MEP partnered with Nebraska MEP to connect him with Recipe to Reality, a program that introduces food entrepreneurs to regulatory requirements, packaging, commercialization, and business planning.
For a product line built around spirits, those questions carry extra weight. Alcohol-infused foods raise regulatory considerations that most bakery products don’t. Before planning any expansion, Chef Rob needed to understand whether his process could meet commercial standards.
The Results
Through Recipe to Reality, Chef Rob:
• Confirmed that Bar & Batter’s alcohol-infused production process can be certified for commercial production, removing a key uncertainty for the business
• Identified the processes and regulatory steps involved in moving from cottage-scale to commercial food production
• Gained an understanding of packaging and labeling requirements for wholesale distribution
With these considerations mapped, Bar & Batter can plan its next stage of growth with a realistic view of the steps ahead.
Helping Food Entrepreneurs Grow
Bar & Batter shows how practical business education can help culinary talent turn into a lasting business. By helping entrepreneurs understand commercialization requirements and connect with the right resources, Maryland MEP supports the growth of Maryland’s emerging food businesses.
Whether you’re developing a new food product or preparing to expand production, Maryland MEP can connect you with the programs and expertise to move your business forward.
“My background is in creating memorable experiences through food and beverage across the hospitality industry. Recipe to Reality showed me what it takes to bring alcohol-infused desserts to a commercial level and gave me confidence that my process can be certified. That’s a big step toward knowing what comes next for Bar & Batter.”
