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EP 155: Kneading More: Finding Purpose in the Perfect Crust with Adam Drucker
Ever wonder what it takes to walk away from a successful career and start over from scratch? Adam Drucker went from IT executive to dishwasher, then built something extraordinary.
In this episode, I speak with Adam Drucker, founder of Doctor Dough. His Reinvention story is great. After a thriving career in IT, Adam walked away from the keyboard in 2010 to start over as a dishwasher at Paradise Cove. He worked his way up into management, landed at Border Grill with celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken managing their food truck business, then launched his own restaurant, Big Mango Cafe, which expanded to two locations before he exited just ahead of COVID. The pizza he makes now is phenomenal. I've tasted it myself, and it's the real deal.
From Takeout to Doctor Dough
Adam grew up in a household where his mom, bless her heart, couldn't cook. He tells this hilarious story about coming back from college breaks and hearing all his friends rave about their mom's cooking, while all Adam wanted was takeout. Those sleepovers at friends' houses showed young Adam there was a whole world of flavor out there. It planted a seed. During lockdown, with zero interest in splurging on a backyard pizza oven, Adam set out to create truly great pizza dough for a standard home oven. His wife Rita—who is one of my favorite humans—said, "Hey, maybe other people would want this." What began as a quest for the perfect crust became Doctor Dough. Today he's curing the world's pizza ills through dough sales, private catering, pop-ups, and markets.
What You Can Learn
Here's what you can take from Adam's story:
- Start where you are. Adam started as a dishwasher without culinary school. If you've got an idea that won't leave you alone, lean into it. He spent nearly two years perfecting his dough recipe because he believed in what he was creating.
- Take the leap even when you're terrified—Adam still asks Rita, "Is this right?" There's fear and uncertainty, but he feels fulfilled, and that matters.
- Involve the people you love. Adam talks about pizza-making as a family activity, flour everywhere, creating memories that matter. That's what Reinvention is really about.
The Doctor Will See You Now Ready to cure your pizza cravings? Connect with Adam and get your hands on some Doctor Dough:
Doc Dough Instagram https://www.instagram.com/doc_dough
Order Your Dough! https://www.docdough.com/
THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReinventionExch
View all episodes
By Kathi Sharpe-Ross
4.8
2323 ratings
Ever wonder what it takes to walk away from a successful career and start over from scratch? Adam Drucker went from IT executive to dishwasher, then built something extraordinary.
In this episode, I speak with Adam Drucker, founder of Doctor Dough. His Reinvention story is great. After a thriving career in IT, Adam walked away from the keyboard in 2010 to start over as a dishwasher at Paradise Cove. He worked his way up into management, landed at Border Grill with celebrity chefs Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken managing their food truck business, then launched his own restaurant, Big Mango Cafe, which expanded to two locations before he exited just ahead of COVID. The pizza he makes now is phenomenal. I've tasted it myself, and it's the real deal.
From Takeout to Doctor Dough
Adam grew up in a household where his mom, bless her heart, couldn't cook. He tells this hilarious story about coming back from college breaks and hearing all his friends rave about their mom's cooking, while all Adam wanted was takeout. Those sleepovers at friends' houses showed young Adam there was a whole world of flavor out there. It planted a seed. During lockdown, with zero interest in splurging on a backyard pizza oven, Adam set out to create truly great pizza dough for a standard home oven. His wife Rita—who is one of my favorite humans—said, "Hey, maybe other people would want this." What began as a quest for the perfect crust became Doctor Dough. Today he's curing the world's pizza ills through dough sales, private catering, pop-ups, and markets.
What You Can Learn
Here's what you can take from Adam's story:
- Start where you are. Adam started as a dishwasher without culinary school. If you've got an idea that won't leave you alone, lean into it. He spent nearly two years perfecting his dough recipe because he believed in what he was creating.
- Take the leap even when you're terrified—Adam still asks Rita, "Is this right?" There's fear and uncertainty, but he feels fulfilled, and that matters.
- Involve the people you love. Adam talks about pizza-making as a family activity, flour everywhere, creating memories that matter. That's what Reinvention is really about.
The Doctor Will See You Now Ready to cure your pizza cravings? Connect with Adam and get your hands on some Doctor Dough:
Doc Dough Instagram https://www.instagram.com/doc_dough
Order Your Dough! https://www.docdough.com/
THE RE:INVENTION EXCHANGE - for more Inspired Content, Blogs, Podcasts, RE:INVENTION Virtual Chats, or to buy a copy of my book RE:INVENT YOUR LIFE! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? by Kathi Sharpe-Ross, visit https://www.thereinventionexchange.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/kathisr_chief_reinventor/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/kathi.sharpeross/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathisharpeross Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReinventionExch