Creating Smiles And Giving Back
Earl Mulley is the man behind the counter, handing out melt-aways to the after-school crowd and planning orders for holiday pies.
By Ashley Young Turner
Photography Kim Torres Photography
Founded in 1982, Halfmann’s Cake Cottage has been an important complement to many of San Angelo’s most memorable occasions. Surveying the glass cases full of brightly colored cookies and fruit-glazed or spice-dusted confections and breathing in the warm smell of toasted sugar and crusts, it’s easy to understand why this locally owned bake-shop would be so special to several generations of clients.
Earl Mulley is the man behind the counter, handing out melt-aways to the after-school crowd and planning orders for holiday pies. Mulley is a familiar face to many of his Halfmann’s patrons not only because he oversees service and production in his building every day, but also because he has been an important part of San Angelo’s culinary community for many years.
Something of a culinary chameleon, Earl Mulley began his life in food while growing up in St. Louis. Leaving business school, Mulley followed his passion for the plate to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Mulley has been a part of some of the most demanding sectors of the food and beverage industry, from four-star Jean-Georges restaurant at Trump Tower to high-end catering at hotels and event spaces all over the country to Jerry Jones’ owner’s suite at Cowboy’s Stadium. Mulley’s first San Angelo endeavor was the beloved River Terrace Restaurant in 2006, which established him as a culinary leader and friend to many in town.
"I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE HELPED ME ALONG MY WAY SO NOW IT'S TIME TO DO IT FOR THEM" - Earl Mulley
There is something romantic in the clinking of glasses, shaking of hands, and the reward of guests’ smiles every day in a restaurant, but for many chefs, the days also end in aching bodies and exhausted minds after extraordinarily long hours of cooking, plating and problem-solving. Many in the industry struggle to carve out a career that allows for a work-life balance and desired quality of life. For Mulley, the pursuit of that balance led to the purchase Halfmann’s, which has allowed him to do quality work, maintain a personal life and involvement in various local and state projects that benefit culinary students and restaurateurs.
“You gotta give back,” Mulley said. “Giving back to the community is what it’s about. I was lucky enough to have people who helped me along my way, so now it’s time to do it for them.”
Mulley has been able to reinvent his varied career yet again at Halfmann’s, all while remaining meticulously devoted to the traditions and recipes that established the bakery as a San Angelo fixture.
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