KANSAS CITY, MO — Despite arriving at Moxie Bread Co.’s commissary kitchen at 3 a.m. to kick off the day’s production, Harra Conticelli, the bakery’s pastry manager, is all smiles and sparkling eyes as she talks about her craft, the bakery and her latest creations. She exudes the telltale signs of someone who revels in the creative art and the structured science of working with dough.
Harra joined Moxie a little more than a year ago, bringing with her 25 years of industry experience that began when she worked at her family’s restaurant in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City. She attended Johnson & Wales University’s baking and pastry arts program, where she also studied food science. From there, she baked in restaurants and hotels and had opportunities to stretch her R&D muscles before landing at Moxie in Longmont, CO, where she started in lamination and worked her way up to the pastry manager position.
“Baking is just in my blood,” Harra said. “I’ve always been drawn to the mix of art and science that is pastry. I love the style of baking at Moxie, using honest ingredients, being creative and working with a lot of passionate folks. We cultivate ideas together, so everybody has a little bit of an impact. Every day brings exciting new opportunities — challenges as well — but it’s a lot of fun. It’s the right balance between structure and creativity here.”
Harra has a particular flair for flavors. After the day’s bake is complete, she dedicates time to experimenting with seasonal flavors and one-of-a-kind filling combinations, an activity that satisfies her craving for creativity and keeps those R&D skills sharp. Her signature item is the kouign-amann. She loves it because she can let her imagination run wild.
“The kouign is fun because it’s got that classic base,” Harra said. “It’s a traditional pastry, but we put our new flavor spins on it to make it more fun and interesting. I love sharing different flavors with other folks. This fall, I made a chai cheesecake filling and a spiced cocoa-flavored filling.”
Her biggest production challenge? The classic croissant.
“Once I think I’ve got it perfectly dialed in, all of a sudden the season changes, the humidity level changes, and we’re back to troubleshooting,” she said. “There’s always an adjustment. If the flour is a little hardier, then the water absorption is slightly different. We recently had to change the type of yeast we were using to accommodate changes with our freezer. You have to go back to the science to figure out why the dough isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do.”
Harra’s industry experience has taught her how to balance new product development with the needs of the business, and her mind is constantly turning over ways to make new ideas work at Moxie.
“You can have the most creative item, but if it’s not something that translates well to large production, it’s going to be a challenge,” she said. “I’m often asking, ‘How can we turn this really cool idea into something that is actually producible for what we do here?’”
Harra draws inspiration from everywhere and everyone: her team, the seasons, nostalgia, trends.
“There are so many different trends happening around the industry and, honestly, all over the world,” she said. “I love being able to see what’s going on and how things are evolving. It gives me that energized vibe of, ‘How can I bring this to Moxie?’”
That vibe, combined with a natural curiosity and the ability to take setbacks in stride, not only marks Harra as an authentic baker but also forms her distinct leadership philosophy.
“You have to stay curious, be adaptable and look at failure as a learning opportunity,” she advised. “You also have to be a good team member and value your teammates. That’s what keeps the oven going and the kitchen rolling.”
This story has been adapted from the December | Q4 2025 Craft to Crumb mini-mag. Read the full story in the digital issue here.
