About

More Than a Bakery

Scratch makes real, honest, hand-crafted food. We support and nurture relationships with local farmers and producers and are proud to be a part of Durham, North Carolina’s growing, vibrant food community.

About Phoebe

©Lissa Gotwals

Phoebe Lawless is the owner and chef of Durham, North Carolina’s Scratch Bakery.

During her time as baker and pastry chef at Durham, North Carolina’s Magnolia Grill under the guidance of Ben and Karen Barker, Phoebe developed an understanding of the delicate balance of texture, temperature, and flavor necessary to produce complex desserts and good, delicious food, and she conveys this same respect in her work today. The menus at Scratch are a reflection of her love of local sourcing and classic southern technique.

Throughout her career Phoebe has been committed to the promotion of sustainable food systems, and the benefits of being connected to the foods we eat. She has been an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance, Chefs Collaborative, and SlowFood USA, and is former co-chair of the Slow Food Triangle chapter. Phoebe also teaches cooking and baking demonstration classes in pastry and the craft of pie-making at her bakery.

Her pies and Community Supported Pie program have been featured in Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food and Wine, Saveur, the New York Times, USA Today, and North Carolina’s Our State magazines. Phoebe’s recipes have been published in Saveur, Garden and Gun, Southern Living, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and featured on the TODAY Show and North Carolina Public Radio.

Phoebe was a 2013 and 2014 semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef award, and in 2015 and 2016 for Outstanding Baker.