You might feel as though you already know Ann and Fred Harri when you meet them for the first time. You’ll get a similar feeling when you take your first bite of their biscotti—like you knew what the cookie was supposed to taste like all along, and they made it perfectly.
Ann and Fred Harri have been selling homemade baked goods at the Emory Farmers Market since October 2014. Their small business, Legacy Bakers, has become a Tuesday morning fixture on campus ever since.
The couple sells biscotti, loaf cakes, pound cakes, cream cheese butter pastries, pan cookie squares and soft granola triangles. After the Harris married nearly a half century ago, their friends and family urged them to sell the baked goods they both grew up making.
Family is baked into the couple’s business model. It’s in the name, Legacy Bakers, and in their slogan, “A Taste of Generations Past.” Their cream cheese butter pastry recipe goes back six generations, Fred Harri said.
Ann Harri’s Eastern European paternal grandparents emigrated to the United States in 1893. Her heritage is the source of the biscotti, which she said is traditional in Eastern Europe, not just Italy.
Since the couple started Legacy Bakers 11 years ago out of their home in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Ann Harri has developed 108 varieties of biscotti and 60 varieties of pound cake.
“All the biscotti recipes are self created,” she said, “so anything that we bake is what I’ve written the recipe for ... For instance, I have one variety here called Cherry Vanilla, and it was an inspiration from ice cream.”
The Harris oldest son’s culinary arts degree has earned him a role in the flavor development process.
“When I create something, we bake it, and we let him see what he thinks about it,” Ann Harri said. “On the second try, we’re selling it.”
Their most popular item is the Peppermint Dark Chocolate Chip Biscotti, dubbed “Christmas in a bag” by the couple’s daughter-in-law, though they sell it year-round.
Legacy Bakers’ baked goods have become a tradition for farmers market regulars in the Emory community, even after their customers move away.
“I still have students who email me or text me and say, ‘Can you mail me some stuff? Because I can’t do without it,’ and we ship it to them and everything,” Fred Harri said.
For Valentine’s Day each year, Legacy Bakers gives a free personal-sized cake to customers with any purchase. This year, the heart-shaped cakes are cran-raspberry chocolate chip flavored, sealed with a red ribbon, and taste like love.
Fred Harri sends out an email newsletter each Thursday to update customers on Legacy Bakers’ offerings each week. On Tuesday mornings, the Harris make the drive to the Emory Farmers Market, waking up earlier than they usually need to when they sell at Snellville, Braselton and Monroe farmers markets.“We love coming here,” Fred Harri said. “We love the staff and the students. It’s just a fantastic market.”
After the Emory Farmers Market reopened in March 2021, customers thanked Legacy Bakers for returning to the market.
“I stand here, behind here, and say, ‘You’re thanking me? We thank you. You’re the reason why we do this, and you’re thanking us?’” Fred Harri said.
