Farmers Market’s breadwinners

For anyone who has spied cooking school ads in the back of food magazines and dreamed of inspired, classic European instruction, Kathleen Cooper’s story is a testament to action. Bread had always appealed to Cooper. More than 30 years ago, she and then-boyfriend Bill would drive from their college apartments in Shreveport to Dallas where one of the original La Madeleine restaurants was located. It was rare in those days to see stacks and rows of crusty loaves. Bread was largely squishy, white and mass-produced, she recalls. The experience planted a seed: Cooper wanted to be a baker. Time passed, and the couple married, had four children and pursued two careers. Living in Baton Rouge, Kathleen worked as a nurse practitioner, while Bill worked in hospital administration. While she loved to cook, Kathleen had long abandoned her dream of baking. A series of recent events, however, has helped that dream return. Click here to find out how Forte Grove is baking up a storm. (Photo by David Gallent)