Ingredients for new Black Mountain bakery include a dash of sweet serendipity

There is nothing random about the process when creating savory baked goods. It requires blending the right ingredients at the right time to produce delicious results. 

The same could be said of Black Mountain's newest bakery, which celebrates its grand opening on Oct. 5 and 6. 

The serendipitous story of Four Sisters Bakery starts with owners Krista Bowman and Dorothy Goodman, who began looking separately at opening a bakery earlier this year. The two had never met although each had taken a look at the former location of the Black Mountain Bakery, which closed its doors for good last December. 

While neither found the space suitable for their needs, both were undeterred. 

Bowman returned to the Red Rocker Inn, which is owned by her parents Doug and Jenny Bowman, to figure out what to do next. 

"My dad kinda just threw out 'well, you could just build on here,'" Krista said. "Once that idea came out it kind of grew into where we are now."

Not only would building an adjacent bakery help their daughter realize her dream, but it would create a use for a previously underutilized space on the property, Jenny said. 

"We have this beautiful yard over here that really wasn't used enough," she said. "And now with the bakery it will be a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the quiet neighborhood."

As the plans for a bakery began to take shape, Goodman, an Asheville native and professional baker, stopped by the Red Rocker. 

"I walked in here because I heard they were going to be building a bakery," she said. "I thought I should connect with them, not as competition, but to introduce myself as a baker in town."

From that meeting, a partnership formed. 

"The more the bakery became a reality, the more I started to get a little overwhelmed by just how big it is to run a place like this on your own," Krista said. "So I started to think it would be nice to have someone else equally invested in this."

Goodman, who had long dreamed of opening a bakery, already had a name in mind. She suggested "Four Sisters Bakery."

"I've had the idea for that name for probably four years," said Goodman, who got the inspiration for the name at a lunch with her four sisters. "It's great because we both come from families with four sisters."

Built as an addition to the historic Red Rocker Inn, the outside of the bakery matches the rest of the 1896 Victorian home, but the inside will feature its own unique environment that the owners believe will appeal to a wide a array of people. 

"It will be a great place for young professionals to work and for mothers to meet friends," Goodman said. "But Black Mountain has a thick population of families and retired folks that we can't wait to welcome into our shop as well. We are excited to be a destination for tourists, but also want to supply locals with their daily breads and treats."

It will include indoor and outdoor seating and offer a rotating menu of cookies, pies, pastries, breads, muffins and more. Four Sisters will sell local products like Dynamite Roasting Co. coffee and also serve breakfast and lunch as well. 

The bakery will also collaborate with the Red Rocker, where Krista's sister Kaylea is the head chef. 

"We're going to be doing stuff for each other," Krista said. "She's already had me make her bread for some specials a few times and we're going to make biscuits and sausage gravy every day, and Kaylea is making the sausage for us."

Four-legged fans of baked goods won't be disappointed either, Krista points out. 

"We'll also be making dog treats here," she said. "We'll have a place outside with dog bowls where you can sit with your dog. We're going to donate a portion of the proceeds from those to Brother Wolf."