Fill up with homemade goodness at Fillingood Bakery

Walk into the doors of Fillingood Bakery during breakfast or lunch, and you will be greeted by the aroma of a baking quiche, the sight of a glistening array of European pastries and artistic wedding cakes and the promise of a delicious meal as you check out a chalkboard menu of daily specials.
Owned by Darryl and Claudia Hurt, Fillingood Bakery features a wide variety of made-from-scratch foods with an international flare. The creativity comes from chef Claudia, while Darryl handles ordering ingredients and tasting the final results. While both are experts at their jobs, neither started their careers in the culinary arts. 
For Claudia, the smell of baked goods was a constant theme during her childhood growing up in a small village along the coast of the southernmost tip of Veracruz in Mexico. Her grandmother was a renowned baker. Her plans, however, were to work in a bank.
“I actually got a bachelor's in business,” Claudia said. “I had no plans to leave Mexico at all.”
But then, she met Darryl when she attended the wedding of a mutual friend 16 years ago.  After their own wedding, Claudia moved to husband Darryl’s hometown of Corpus Christi. While he worked in the oil and gas industry for several years, she decided to go back to school at Del Mar College, where she earned an associate’s degree in culinary arts. 
The change was so successful, Claudia also began teaching her new skills to others. 
“They loved Claudia so much that when an opportunity opened up at the school for adjunct professor in culinary arts, she applied for the position and was hired,” Darryl said.  
Claudia began teaching several classes in baking/pastries specialization at Del Mar, all the while gaining a reputation for spectacular wedding and special occasion cakes. 
“I learned the art of sculpting flowers, cake toppers and wedding decor by hand, using sugar paste,” she said  “It's a long process but very important when you see the beauty it adds to the wedding and special occasion cakes.”
In Corpus Christi, however, she found that job opportunities for new pastry chefs graduates were sorely lacking, and many of her students were faced with relocating to larger cities or even changing professions to make ends meet. Pastry chefs devoted to making everything from scratch are a slowly dying breed, Claudia told Corpus Christi Business News. 
She wanted to help her students practice their creative talents in Corpus Christi while helping them gain hands-on knowledge of the bakery business. She turned to prayer for an answer, which came when the doors of a local chocolatier closed. She grabbed the property, and, in December 2014, the doors to Fillingood Bakery opened.

INTERNATIONAL DELIGHTS

As a professor for the culinary arts at Del Mar College, Claudia travels to different parts of the world, attending conferences and learning the latest baking techniques from master bakers to bring back to her students and their bakery cafe.
“I love traveling, I've been all over the world from Europe to South America, sampling the cuisine and sharing what I've learned with my students,” she said. “Some might not have the means to travel, but they deserve to learn what’s out there.”
Customers at Fillingood Bakery definitely get the sweet end of the deal with crème brulée, macarons and almond and chocolate croissants inspired by Parisian bakers alongside panna cotta with fresh vanilla bean and tiramisu recipes from Italy. 
“All of our recipes are made from scratch,” Claudia said. “Nothing is ever store-bought and frozen. Our staff makes everything by hand. You can taste the quality in every bite.”
According to Darryl, the bakery’s success is owed to having a great team, most of whom were Claudia’s students. 
”Everyone here has their own specialty, but they can also do almost anything in the bakery,” Darryl said. “We try to find the best fit for each person’s specific strengths.”
For Claudia, the mission of Fillingood Bakery is not just about making money.
“If money was our main objective, we could have easily cut corners and used processed ingredients and frozen items, but we don’t,” she said. “This bakery is also a classroom, a lab and a chance for our staff to hone their talents and perfect them.” 
The benefits of the Hurts’ career in turn benefits the entire city. Customers are offered a wide variety of excellent food, made in small batches from scratch for the best flavor and enjoyment. It’s a job designed to make anyone happy. 
“Unlike other careers, being a pastry chef is a unique job in which you can actually taste and enjoy your creations,” Claudia said. “What a wonderful profession to be in.”
Fillingood Bakery is located at The Village shopping center on  3819 S. Alameda. For more information, visit fillingoodbakery.com or call (361) 225-GOOD (4663).