The Down Home Comfort Bakery: Down home comfort with all natural ingredients

On November 6, the Warren County High School DECA Chapter conducted a “Job Shadowing Day” with local businesses in Front Royal. Twenty-six students shadowed owners, managers, and employees in twelve locally owned businesses. During this week, “Global Entrepreneurship Week”, we will be spotlighting some of our successful local business entrepreneurs.

Businesses participating in this job shadowing activity included:

• Blake & Co.
• C & C Frozen Treats
• Down Home Comfort Bakery
• Jack Evans Chevrolet
• Main Street Daily Grind
• National Media Services
• Ramsey Hardware
• Royal Auto Works
• Royal Comfort Shoe Center
• Truss’D
• United Bank
• White Pickett Fence

Down Home Comfort Bakery Owners, Maureen & Keith Menefee

Maureen Menefee decided to open her business, Down Home Comfort Bakery, along with her husband Keith, because she loved baking and creating her own recipes. When Mrs. Menefee was in school, her teacher had given her a book that offered hints about creating a business, and she claims to have always had an interest in creating her own business.

Down Home Comfort Bakery is located at 120-A East Main Street, in Front Royal, Virginia. The Menefees’ goal is to keep building their business, but they want to stay local and focus on customer service while reaching more people. They offer homemade goods and are most known for their pies and cinnamon buns, known as “Sticky buns.” While participating in a job shadowing activity at the bakery, I was impressed to see how much love and care the Menefees worked into their goods. You could just tell they had a passion for what they were doing.

Their bakery continues to do things in the community; not just to grow more as a local business, but to reach out and support other businesses on Main Street. Some of the events they attend include: the Festival of Leaves, charities, donations, and baked goods sold in local businesses. There was only one question that took a minute for Mrs. Menefee to answer, and that was, “If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?” Mrs. Menefee responded, “make sure it’s really what you aspire to do and stay true to yourself.”

My overall experience was very inspiring because I am currently enrolled in an entrepreneurship course. I plan to create my own business when the opportunity rolls around later in life, so job shadowing at Down Home Comfort Bakery gave me a strong idea of where and how to start.