After finding his passion of baking for family and friends, Wesley Dills, along with his husband, Adam Lloyd, opened The Bearded Baking Company's first brick-and-mortar in downtown Bastrop in April. In the six months following, the pair have worked to make The Bearded Baking Company a Bastrop favorite for all things sweet and savory.

Looking back

Dills said The Bearded Baking Company first started with pop-ups and farmers markets in the Austin area. After a while, they were offered an opportunity to take over a space at Still Austin Whiskey Company in South Austin.

“We then started to stretch our savory legs and began offering classic Southern comfort food inspired by family and community recipes in and around our hometown of Dudley, North Carolina,” he said.

When Dills and Lloyd took their next big step and opened the cafe bakery on Main Street in Bastrop earlier this year, they also began expanding their wholesale clients to restaurants, such as JewBoy Burgers and Tacodeli.


What’s special about it?

The menu has been carefully curated, with recipes from family and friends, and dishes named after people and things that have affected Dills’ life.

“Our recipes come from family and the folks in the community that I grew up in," Dills said. "They have all made a deep impact on me personally in one way or another."

What’s on the menu?


The Bearded Baking Company offers both special-order and ready-made baked goods, such as cakes, cookies, brownies and more—but that is not all. Dills and Lloyd have whipped up a full savory menu with items breakfast items, such as The Grizzly—a buttermilk cathead biscuit with a cheesy omelet and bacon sandwiched inside; and The Studly Farmer—a toasted croissant holding a feta and basil omelet, sliced tomato and a balsamic glaze. Other menu items include appetizers, or Lumbersnacks, such as Bubba’s Snack Pack, which features a half-pound of Pearl’s Taters with Bubba’s Chicken-Fried Bacon, Bear Cave ranch and maple bourbon ketchup for dipping; and lunch items, such as Pop’s Chicken Salad served on a toasted croissant or grilled Texas toast.

In their own words

“Even though we have only been in downtown Bastrop for a few months, the community has made us feel so welcomed and right at home,” Dills said. “We have truly enjoyed our experiences so far and will continue to serve the great people of Bastrop.”