Pictured above: Together We Bake Co-Founder Tricia Sabatini, Executive Director Tricia Allen and Program Alumna and Shipping and Fulfillment Associate Reina Carranza
By Elizabeth Hughes
“The door never closes,” says Together We Bake (TWB) Executive Director Tricia Allen. It was in 2012 that the nonprofit launched its mission here in the Alexandria community. Many of you may know TWB for its cookies and granola, sold at outlets like Whole Foods. However, there is more to this success story than super-yummy baked goods.nThese days, the much-lauded organization is launching a metric-based plan for 2030.nThe Plan includes expansion of economic opportunity, a strengthening of community resilience through a “third space” (additional real estate), service to more women, and a scaling of social enterprise (production of TWB products that create a sustainable revenue stream).
Let’s look at history.
The goal at inception for Together We Bake was focused and simple: to teach women at-risk food preparation and food safety job skills in a kitchen and communal environment.
The organization also baked goods to be shipped to patrons (again, we’re talking about the aforementioned and delicious cookies, etc.), so that was another skill set that participants received – shipping, fulfillment, and customer service. ServSafe Certification and soft people talents were part of this effort provided by the nonprofit’s visionaries, including Co-Founder Tricia Sabatini.
Next, there was job placement in the food services and hospitality sectors.
Over time, Together We Bake took hold locally and occupied space in The Common Good at 212 S. Washington Street, which is part of The Old Town Community Church. To this day, the space is shared with other charities and organizations, including a school for children diagnosed with autism. It includes offices, a fully-functioning work kitchen, and meeting space with a television and WiFi. All participants were paired one on one with a job counselor as well.
As the organization gained prominence, the further goal was that a season with TWB would help each Seasonal Cohort (up to 15 people) to lift themselves out of economic and social despair. These afflictions included incarceration, addiction, or severe trauma such as familial neglect or domestic violence.
Thirteen “lucky” years later, Ms. Allen speaks to a pivot in the mission.
She’s talking now to the goals of what this nonprofit does today, outside of a kitchen setting.
“We don’t dictate the next step.” She says that the organization often plays a role in a “…warm handoff for that next phase of (a participant’s journey). That might be direct employment. That might be college.”
Ms. Allen knows of what she speaks.
She transplanted herself from Denver, Colorado in Winter 2024 to accept the Executive Directorship.
This, after serving as Chief Program Officer of the Economic Development Association of Black Communities (EDABC) and completion of McKinsey & Company’s Black Executive Leadership Program, also in Colorado. As to bringing her solutions-based leadership platform to Alexandria, Ms. Allen comments, “I selected the offer because of the (organization’s) mission and the passion of the staff.”
The staff at TWB includes alumnae of the program itself, women who were disenfranchised and – in many cases, homeless – who took that first step to recover, connect, and re-enter productive society.
Success stories include a former participant who works for a major DMV university, another who works for a prominent law firm, and a community leader such as TWB Program Manager Lisbeth Declid, who is committed to paying her gratitude forward.
Ms. Declid, is a 2015 graduate who now works for TWB on staff and says, “This organization truly helped me. It helped my daughter, too. She joined me at Farmer’s Market events and at Alumnae events and experienced the kindness of (Together We Bake Leaders).”
Ms. Declid further shares that, while her now adult-aged daughter did not participate in TWB, her exposure to its culture and its proactive, motivational environment inspired her to study social work and start a nonprofit of her own.
Women who enter the program come from up to 300 referral sources. Ms. Allen states that she and her team work with community agencies, including Alexandria detention centers and probation officers, citing – that some women who are re-entering society after incarceration are capable individuals who simply “…do not have a plan.”
Regarding the resilience of the women in the Commonwealth, Ms. Allen adds, “I think every woman that takes the time to complete an application (to TWB) and to interview and to take that step is a success story.” She states that the organization keeps the door open, even to candidates who are not selected for the program.
In closing, Ms. Allen takes me to the Wall of Fame – a series of photos of cohorts past who have gone on to lead productive, happy lives in the Greater D.C./Alexandria area.
Ms. Allen discusses the September 12, 2025 Empowerment Breakfast at the Westin Alexandria, attended by City of Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins. She discusses the quarterly reunions with former participants, a holiday event she calls “Friendsgiving,” and – again – a door of warmth, fellowship, and mentorship that always remains open to those who want to change their lives for the better.
HOW YOU CAN HELP TOGETHER WE BAKE
- Sign up for the organization’s e-mail newsletter list by visiting togetherwebake.org.
- Buy the nonprofit’s baked goods. Signing up as a supporter will provide you with a 15% Discount on a purchase of the organization’s (amazing) Granola and Cookie products.
- Donate cash through the portal as well.
- Become a corporate sponsor at community events like the Empowerment Breakfast.
- Donate in-kind items for The Common Good/TWB Community Closet such as gently-worn work attire, handbags, and Winter Coats.
About the Author: Elizabeth Hughes is a former entertainment journalist who has covered The Academy Awards, reality television, and breaking news. She has interviewed movie stars, rock stars, and authors. Her work in print dates back over 20 years with bylines and editing in national, regional, and community publications. These days, Ms. Hughes lives happily in Old Town. Photos Provided by Together We Bake and Elizabeth Hughes.