Emma and Sean Schacke
Evergreen Butcher + Baker | Atlanta
april 2023
Emma Schacke grew to love baking during her eighth grade home economics class, where a biscuit lesson and a rising interest in Ina Garten had her hooked. She became an accomplished home baker during high school, and after two years at the University of Georgia, realized all she wanted to do was bake. Emma went to the French Pastry Institute in Chicago, then returned to Georgia, spending time at the St. Regis Hotel and at a cake shop in Athens. Looking for a change of pace, she moved to Amsterdam with nothing but her resume, and biked around until she found a little pastry shop that taught her the inner workings of a neighborhood bakery. When she returned stateside, Emma started at One Eared Stag in Atlanta, where she met future life and business partner, Sean Schacke.
Sean didn’t start cooking professionally until the age of 23, often making meals for friends during college. He enrolled in the Art Institute of Atlanta’s culinary program, and staged at the Mediterranean-inspired wine bar Eno during his first quarter. Finding restaurant life much faster paced than school, Schacke started cooking full time, learning how to manage precision with volume. After a few jobs around Atlanta, he moved on to One Eared Stag under Rising Stars alum Robert Phalen. Sean started on the line, and moved all the way up to sous chef.
After a brief stint in Nashville, the couple moved to Chicago, with Sean looking to lean more into butchery. He started at Publican Quality Meats, learning whole animal butchery, while Emma joined the team at Pleasant House Bread, where she learned wood-fired sourdough bread making techniques. The couple then moved to Portland, Maine, where Sean worked in a local butcher shop, and Emma in a neighborhood bakery. Wanting to start their own business, they returned to Atlanta to open Evergreen Butcher + Baker in September 2019. Evergreen is an expression of their combined passions, skills, and careers, selling bread, sweet and savory pastries, charcuterie, raw cuts, and sandwich specials.
