We Love our people
Meet the owner
Mandy Powell
Owner
Born and raised in Oklahoma, Mandy’s favorite early childhood books were “Try Again, Sally!” and “Cindy Bakes a Funny Cake.” Not yet realizing baking was her passion, she attended the University of Oklahoma and the University of Tennessee, followed by a career in the medical field for several years. After her twin daughters were born, she left her career as a clinical educator for a medical device company to be a stay-at-home mom. At the age of 50, Mandy followed her dreams by going to culinary school and specializing in the art of pastry. Laurel & Pearl was born, and the rest is history! When not baking, Mandy stays busy with her husband, five daughters, and two dogs, including Pippa the Frenchie.
meet our team
Graycie Green
Lead Coffee/Sales
Born in Mississippi, Graycie moved to Tyler with her family when she was 7 and has been here ever since. Graycie is the youngest of four siblings, and has a huge heart and love for all animals, being mom to two dogs, a hamster, and a ferret. After graduating high school, Graycie has studied business at UT Tyler, has worked as a server at a couple of popular, local restaurants, and has worked as an assistant at a local veterinary office.
Graycie is a part of our amazing Coffee/Sales/Hospitality team, and if you’ve been to the bakery in the morning, you have no doubt met her. With her Southern and East Texas roots, showing our customers our brand of Southern Hospitality is something that comes natural to Graycie.
Baylee Riley
Lead Overnight
Baylee was born in Plano, Texas, and lived in several different places growing up. She finally found her way to Lindale when she was a junior in high school. She decided to stay close to home for college and went to TJC. She first got her certification in sign language. But she wanted more and loves to bake, so she continued her education and received her degree in Culinary Arts with an emphasis in pastry.
She has two brothers and one sister, and they encouraged her the whole way. Family means a lot to Baylee, so in her spare time you can find her in the kitchen experimenting with recipes with her mom or playing with her nieces. She also enjoys spending time with her Maltese Buff. Her favorite thing to bake is cookies and bars.
Jossette Landeros
Baker/Decorator
Born and raised in Tyler, Jossette attended TJC for a year in the Criminal Justice program. She is the oldest of six siblings. If you love our beignets on Beignet Tuesday, Jossette is your girl! She mixes, proofs, and cuts over 200 beignets very early every Tuesday morning so that we have plenty to last throughout the day. She works through the night getting the Frenchie donuts rolled, filled, glazed, topped, and ready for our 8am opening.
In her spare time, Jossette likes doing fun things with her daughter, making cheesecake (her favorite dessert), and reading books.
Micaela Cotton
Coffee/Sales
Micaela grew up in a small town in East Texas. Born into a large, close-knit family, she has been cooking and baking with her mother and both of her grandmothers for as long as she can remember. Always wanting to show off her creativity, her favorite part of baking is decorating! Even though she loves baking, you probably recognize Micaela’s face as one of our amazing coffee/sales/hospitality team members when you walk in the doors of the bakery. Her love for all things coffee began with her beloved cousin Heather teaching her the art of making it.
Shortly after moving to Tyler to attend college, Micaela found joy in meeting and chatting with new friendly faces. She is so excited to greet customers with a big smile on her face!
AnnaBeth Bottoms
Baker/Decorator
AnnaBeth was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, and moved to Tyler for college. She is a Dental Hygiene student at TJC. She is the second oldest of five siblings.
In her spare time, AnnaBeth loves baking, running, and hanging out and making meals with friends. Her favorite meal to make is pesto pasta and sourdough bread. She has her own sourdough starter and grows her own basil for the pesto.
Her favorite thing to bake are macarons because the flavor and color options are endless! We are happy to have her on our team mixing dough and making macarons at Laurel & Pearl!
Hannah Adkins
Dough
Born in Kansas City, Hannah’s family moved around to various places in Oklahoma and Texas before settling in East Texas, which she considers home. She is the baby of five siblings. She and her husband Steven have one daughter, Milena, who deeply touched their lives for 6 days and now lives in heaven.
Hannah loves all things dough, and is the magic behind all of our laminated pastry products, including our croissants and the Frenchie. She became interested in dough when her husband Steven was having health problems and she began researching healthier ways of cooking and baking, with all-natural, unprocessed ingredients. She loves baking bread at home and at the bakery. In her spare time, she loves crafts and homesteading. Her spirit is sweet and her light shines bright. And she may be tiny, but she tosses around the dough and 40qt mixer bowl with ease! If you come by the bakery on a weekday, you are likely to see her doing her thing through our dough room observation window … it’s quite fun to watch!
Diana Pineda
Macaron Baker Magnifique
Originally from California, Diana has lived in Tyler since 2012. She took coursework to be a vet tech in high school,
In the fall of 2019, Diana was accepted as a student in the new TJC Culinary Arts program where she finally found her niche. It was there that she met Mandy, owner of Laurel & Pearl. Diana has fun baking and loves the feeling of making others happy with what she makes.
As someone with high-functioning autism, Diana finds it challenging to meet and talk with new people, but we’re sure when you meet her you will love her like we do!
When not baking, Diana enjoys video games, K-Pop, and hanging out with friends. She is looking forward to honing her baking and decorating skills as an overnight baker at Laurel & Pearl.
Toni Lamb
Lunch Prep
Being in a military family, Toni was born in Munich, Germany. She lived in many different states (and countries) until her family settled in Oklahoma when she was in Junior High. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years before getting her BS Nursing degree in her forties! She practiced Labor and Delivery and Mother-Baby until her retirement in 2013.
Toni has two daughters (one being Mandy … owner of Laurel & Pearl), and one son in heaven. She has one younger sister, an older sister-in-love, and 8 grandchildren. She likes sewing, singing in her church choir, and hanging out with friends.
Her favorite things to bake are homemade brownies and Gigi’s Chocolate Cake (Gigi is her mom and the fame behind our Gigi’s Babycakes).
Known by her grandkids and around the bakery as “T,” she helps with all the prepping at the bakery, including our infamous Marinated Cheese and Whipped Feta.
Brittany Riley
Baker/Decorator
Brittany was born and raised in Crockett, Texas. But even though she’s from a small East Texas town, she has big inspirations and dreams!
Brittany attended Texas Technical College and got her Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Gourmet Catering. Later, she attended TJC (where she met our owner Mandy) and got her Pastry Certificate. Brittany loves how being a pastry chef allows her to express herself creatively through different designs and flavors. In her spare time she spends a lot of time inside baking and crafting. However, don’t be surprised if you see her outside with her pride and joy, her Siberian Husky, Nora! Brittany says she gets just as excited about baking as Nora does about getting belly rubs!
Addy Powell
Sales/Coffee/Kitchen Assistant
Addy was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to the United States at the age of 4 to be a part of her forever family. They moved to Tyler in 2014.
Even though she’s just in 9th grade, she already knows she wants to go to either Belmont for fashion design or musical theater – or go to Oklahoma for musical theater or meteorology. What a combo!
Addy loves animals and has four cats and two dogs. She would have more if her parents would let her. She has four sisters, and she is number 3 – sandwiched right in the middle.
Her favorite things to do in her spare time are watching “Dance Moms” and crocheting. Her favorite desserts are apple pie and chocolate chess pie.
Caroline Holman
Sales/Coffee/Kitchen Assistant
Caroline was born in Columbia, Missouri, and moved to East Texas when she was just a few months old. She’s a sophomore at Tyler Legacy High School and hasn’t decided where she wants to go to college yet.
Caroline has an older sister, a younger brother, and a dog named Riley whom she got during the COVID pandemic.
She likes to crochet and knit in her free time, and her favorite things to bake are apple turnovers.
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Jamie McCullough
Day Team Lead/Cake Decorator
Jamie has been a Texan her whole life, born in Austin and raised in Bullard. She is the third of four siblings. She currently has an orange tabby named Mango and a German shepherd/blue heeled named Copper. She loves reading and baking in her spare time. She met Mandy, owner of Laurel & Pearl, through culinary school at TJC.
She is a close-knit family girl who loves spending time at home with her husband and going to see her family. And speaking of family… Jamie is expecting her first baby in 2024! Her favorite Laurel & Pearl bakery item is the Caramel Apple Pie Frenchie. We are so happy she joined our team!
Mikaela Seagren
Dough
Mikaela was born in the chilly state of Michigan. She moved around a few times growing up due to her father’s job before moving to Texas in 2009. Mikaela was pursuing a degree in biology at Texas A&M when she met her husband, Brandon, in 2018. They got married and decided to start their new journey together in Tyler, Texas and we are so glad they did! They are parents to two very spoiled cats and enjoy making artwork and creating homemade recipes.
Mikaela’s passion is to be in the kitchen baking. Her favorite thing that she makes are croissants. She loves making them at home and has that keen touch necessary for creating perfect, flaky golden brown croissants.
Abigail Brockner
Coffee/Sales
Abby was born and raised in Houston, and was homeschooled all her life. She is the youngest of 6 siblings… 3 boys and 3 girls! Besides making amazing coffee drinks for our guests, Abby is also a makeup artist and aesthetician and loves doing wedding makeup for brides. A newlywed herself, Abby moved to Tyler to be closer to family and it has quickly become home to her. She loves to workout and all things sports, and has been playing volleyball and softball since she was 5 years old!
Sarah Bazzell
Coffee/Sales
Sarah was born in Phoenix, AZ and lived there for the first ten years of her life until her family moved to Tyler in 2016. Her best friend and role model is her older sister, who attends college in Kentucky. Her other best buddy is Dax, a rescue dog and a yorkie poodle mix!
Sarah’s favorite hobbies are playing her guitar, ceramics, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. Her absolute favorite Laurel & Pearl items are the Blueberry Lemon Frenchie and the Almond Croissant!
Adamaris Lopez
Coffee/Sales
Addy is from Orange, California and moved to East Texas when she was 6. She is currently a student at UT Tyler majoring in Accounting. She has 3 older sisters, and a lovely cat named Luna. Addy enjoys doing all types of puzzles and loves trying new coffee shops around town. Her favorite Laurel & Pearl bakery item is the Chantilly Peach Macaron.
Rachael Reese
Coffee/Sales
Rachael has lived in East Texas her entire life. Raised in Canton, she attended college at UT Tyler, majoring in English Literature. She and her husband have two sons and an adorable golden retriever/collie mix named Cash. She enjoys gardening, traveling, and cheering on her boys at their soccer games. Rachael finds nothing quite as comforting as a hot cup of coffee and a good book.
