LYNN — When Brita Potenza was looking for space to grow her catering and event-hosting business, she visited the Lydia Pinkham Building and toured the space formerly occupied by Uncommon Feasts. On the wall was a photo of a function that had been held there. She recognized someone.
“I looked over on the wall, and there was a big photo, and it was me. No kidding,” she said. “It was a picture of one job I happened to do with Michelle (Mulford, of Uncommon Feasts), of me holding wine bottles. It was like OK, this is definitely a sign.”
The fact that the space was ideal for what she was looking for made it an easy decision. With Flour in Her Hair was moving to Lynn.
“I had been looking for space for four years and patiently waiting to find the right place,” said Potenza, who started the business six years ago. “Everything came together. I walked in the space and it felt so perfect.”
Potenza connected with EDIC/Lynn and learned about loan opportunities. She said she also worked with other city departments that were very helpful in her getting established in the city.
“Lynn originally wasn’t my plan,” Potenza said. “It was slightly unfamiliar to me, so I was nervous because even though I’ve been doing this for so long, it really does feel like a new start here. And I have had nothing but good experiences. I’ve worked with every city around the North Shore, and I haven’t had such a positive experience that I have with Lynn.”
With Flour in Her Hair, which moved from Beverly last October, is a full-service catering company that also offers event space for private dinners, cooking classes, and celebrations. There are café days on Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering specials from the kitchen, pastries, and grab-and-go meals. Potenza said the business is community-driven, and they work closely with local farms and seasonal produce.
“Brita has been a welcome addition to the business community,” said EDIC/Lynn Executive Director James Cowdell. “It’s good to see another woman-owned business flourish in the Lydia Pinkham Building.”
Potenza was born in Ithaca, N.Y., moved to San Francisco when she was 10 and lived there for 14 years. The name of her company is a nod to her West Coast background, taken from a line in the Led Zeppelin song “Going to California,” modified to reflect the nature of her business: “Someone told me there’s a girl out there With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.”
Potenza went to school for photojournalism and food culture studies in California. She became enamored with the grain movement, specifically with the Tehachapi Grain Project, which was bringing heritage grains back to California. That prompted her to shift focus from photography to the world of food.
Potenza went to pastry school and did all the school’s photography in exchange for her tuition. She was planning to open a bakery, but felt the pull of the East Coast, and about 10 years ago, she decided to visit her mother in Ipswich for three months. She never left.
After losing her job during the pandemic, Potenza started two businesses. With Flour in Her Hair was essentially a food photography business, but she had been cooking for the community during COVID, so she started a weekly menu from which people can order and pick up or have it delivered. That’s how With Flour in Her Hair took its current form.
“It feels so special to be in this building, which was always a dream, just having brick walls and wood,” said Potenza, who lives in Gloucester with her wife and their dog. “I know that sounds so silly, but coming from California, one of the things about the East Coast that’s so special is that being able to honor a historical building is very cool. It has good energy.”
