Instead of hearts, flowers, and birds, the logo for Allie Trotter’s bakery is a skeleton in a black hood carrying a whisk.
“It’s kind of a play on the grim reaper,” says Trotter, owner of Whisks of Doom.
“I’m not a nice and floral person like a lot of bakeries are … very sweet and gentle. I wanted to make a brand that was more me. I’m very into metal music and tattoo culture.”
Her pies, which she sells online and at pop-ups, come in black boxes. “People love it. It’s definitely something different. It’s kind of like the same reaction people have to Halloween. They love creepy stuff. I love the heavy metal vibe. That’s what I’m going for.”
Trotter is also a professional burlesque dancer known as Frankie LaFemme. And she’s the assistant taproom manager at Wiseacre Brewing Co. on Broad. “Three Bs rule my life,” she says. “Beer, burlesque, and baking.”
The bakery idea began about five years ago when Trotter, a native Memphian, entered a pie contest while living in Albuquerque. “There’s a town in New Mexico called Pie Town, and the only things there are four or five different pie shops. They have a big pie-baking contest and pie-eating contest.”
Trotter won first place. “I was like, ‘Holy cow!’ That pie was a sweet potato pie with coconut pecan streusel, which is something like my mom makes every year for Thanksgiving.
“I think after winning that award it was a nice affirmation: ‘Oh, you’re talented at this. You should pursue it a little bit more.’”
Trotter, who’d been in the brewery and beer business for six or seven years, decided to do bakery pop-ups at different breweries.
Her bakery, still “a work in progress,” features a limited menu from her 50 flavors of hand pies and slices at Whisks of Doom on Instagram and Facebook. “It’s usually all social-media based now. People order some pies, and I’ll either deliver them or give them a pick-up location.” Trotter also does bakery pop-ups at least once a month.
Red Chili Chocolate, a red chili chocolate ganache pie, is the most popular. “That’s from living in New Mexico. They put green and red chilis in everything. A lot of chocolate things have a little spice and kick. I don’t like things that are over-cloyingly sweet. It’s nice to have a little kick.”
She also makes savory pies. “My friend in New Mexico came up with a flavor, but I love making it. It’s a red Thai curry chicken pot pie.”
Trotter began her burlesque career about 10 years ago. “I would go to Memphis Belles shows, and I was just entranced by it. A young 20-year-old, it was really nice and exciting for me to see different bodies being displayed in such a nice and affirmative way,” she says. “I’ve always loved the vintage culture. It was something I’d never seen before. I was like, ‘Oh, my God. I want to do this. I want to have all the confidence these girls do.’ It just woke me up.”
Trotter, who began putting on her own shows at the Hi Tone, is more of a “solo performer,” but she also performs in Memphis Burlesque Productions and with Velvetina Taylor.
“As Frankie LaFemme,” Trotter says, “I have a big 1940s platinum blonde wig. I have different vintage showgirl outfits. Lots of feathers, rhinestones, and big feather fans. All the beads, the sparkle.”
Trotter, who describes her act as “vintage striptease,” says, “ I love long gloves and big ostrich fans. Like a blast from the past. Then we also do a lot of theme shows. Like we used to do a heavy metal burlesque show and sci-fi theme show. It’s really a very open world. It’s fun to do a different character and transform.”
She says baking and burlesque is “a crazy balance.”
Trotter hopes to go the brick-and-mortar route with her bakery business. “I definitely hope I can own a little bakery in the future. That’s kind of the goal.”