Four Points eatery offers cakes, breakfast and more

For the past seven years, Michelle Brull has greeted customers with coffee and a kolache. An artist at heart, the head baker and owner of Rise & Shine Bakery is living her life's dream designing cakes, creating meals and finding success as an entrepreneur.

The 1,200-square-foot cafe located on the corner of River Place Boulevard and RR 2222 began serving the West Austin community on April 1, 2006.

Despite the long hours, baking is the only thing Brull has ever really wanted to do with her life.

"I worked the front, and we only served kolaches and sweets, no cakes or breakfast," Brull said of Rise & Shine's early years. "I came in at 2 a.m. and closed the place at 4 or 5 p.m. every day."

Brull started her baking career when she was 10 years old by making boxed cakes and treats for her brother's high school football team. She later took professional classes in cake design, allowing her to further develop her creative side. When the opportunity came to launch her own business, Brull gambled on the small storefront in the Shops at River Place.

Throughout the years, Brull has added weekday meals, and, in January, weekend breakfasts.

"I needed to bring in breakfast items we could make more quickly than kolaches," Brull said. "I was looking for something we could make in five or 10 minutes."

Brull added breakfast tacos, egg platters and a spin on flapjacks that included mixing the ingredients from scratch to find a better blend.

The weekday lunchtime crowd begins around 11:30 a.m., with what Brull calls one of the most popular sandwiches, the Jerry Lee, a grilled turkey, ham and bacon sandwich with Swiss, mild cheddar and Rise & Shine's own roasted red onion mayo ($8).

The Vancouver, a turkey, cheddar and brown sugar–glazed bacon sandwich with Major Grey's mango chutney ($7.50), and the Tom Pomme, a turkey, spinach, apple butter and brie sandwhich ($7), are other popular sandwiches.

All breads are baked in-house daily, and local, organic eggs are used in the cafe's products, Brull said.

The Four Points restaurant has between eight and 11 employees on any given day, including Brull's younger sister Laura who wraps and fills cakes. Despite a 12-year age gap, Brull and Laura have become closer by working together.

"It's been cool," Brull said of designing desserts while standing beside her sibling. "We've been able to connect."

The restaurant's kitchen packs a lot into a very small place. Even Brull's tiny office houses a double-door refrigerator. However, with three years remaining on her lease, the Houston native has no plans to expand anytime soon.

"My goal was never to franchise the business or suck all of the money out of it," Brull said. "Any time I've looked at the numbers—the dollar signs—really closely, that's when I lose sight of the creativity. I'd rather keep it the way it is. I spend way too many hours here to not be happy."

Catering to Mother Earth

Michelle Brull's commitment to the environment is evident before customers even enter Rise & Shine Bakery. The outside ambience is heightened by a tall planter made out of cinder blocks, a technique Brull found online and referred to as "upcycling." In the summer, the planter is home to herbs used in Rise & Shine's baked goods. A large wooden spool, which Brull artistically torched to bring out the wood's grain, serves as an outdoor table, a remnant from when her parents built their current home in the area.

Rise & Shine Bakery, 10601 RR 2222, Ste. M, Austin, 512-346-2253, www.riseandshinebakery.com

• Mon.–Fri. 6:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Sat. 6:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
• Sun. 7:30 a.m.–2 p.m.