Hours before sunrise on a cold January morning, Megan Walker was baking dozens of biscuits, scones and frittatas for the day ahead. She glided a rolling pin over a slab of dough, folding one corner and patting it down as flour lifted in faint dust clouds.
By the time daylight crept in, the pastries and viennoiseries were arranged behind the glass display, waiting for the morning rush that slowly trickled into her Mid-City bakery and coffee shop, The Station.
After more than six hours in the kitchen, Walker untied her apron and made her way to a window seat, clutching a pink timer. She sat facing a sunlit Bienville Street, where morning crowds drank coffee beneath pastel green canopies, and set the timer for 7 minutes — the length of her break…