PHOTO BY Craig Sherod / MPW.59 PHOTO BY Craig Sherod / MPW.59
  • Francine Davenport: Born to Bake
  • By Craig Sherod,Craig Sherod Photography
  • The 59th Missouri Photo Workshop / Chillicothe, Mo.
  • Francine Davenport’s workday starts early. Firing up the ovens at 3:30am, darkness surrounds her kitchen as she begins to bake. By 5:00am help arrives and the fast-paced ritual of mixing and baking will fill her display cases by 6:30am. At 7am each day, the phone rings and Francine delivers a snappy 1-minute monologue describing the mix of pastries she’s prepared for the day. As you might expect, Francine’s Pastry Parlor is a homey place that attracts its share of regulars. A local knitting group and a collection of retired businessmen meet at Francine’s frequently.

    Francine’s Pastry Parlor is a solid fixture in this town of 9,000, but the venture was a risky leap in 1994 for an ex-secretary who loved baking. Forgoing an expensive main street location and the newest equipment, Francine’s early frugality helped her build a strong business. Francine loves what she does and loves her life. When asked about retirement she said, “I’ll turn over the closed sign when I stop loving it.” Luckily for Chillicothe, there’s no sign of that in the immediate future.

    Pulled from the hot oven, the muffin springs back from Francine Davenport’s light touch, a sign that it has finished baking.

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