What happens when a tour production manager and celebrity hairstylist suddenly find themselves unemployed? They start baking sourdough cinnamon rolls at RockNRollz.
Christin and Zito were living creative lives. She, as a hair and makeup professional taking care of a string of A-list celebrities. Zito (who exclusively uses only his last name) worked 300 plus days a year as a tour production manager for musical artists and shows. Then came the shutdown.
A delicious RockNRollz cinnamon roll (Chrissy Nix Photography/2020)
“I was on the road with Steve Aoki when the call came to a head home,” said Zito. “Our crew loaded the trucks in Cleveland on March 12, en route to Chicago. I had no idea it would be the last show of 2020. Touring was my life for the previous 21 years, so spending more than a couple of days at home seemed strange.”
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As an A-list hair and makeup artist, Christin was equally busy. Absent Music City’s red-carpet events, music video, and commercial shoots, her work also abruptly ended. For busy professionals with little time for hobbies, both wanted to find or renew outside interests. More importantly, they decided to account for their extra time.
The result is RockNRollz Nashville.
“I’ve always been into cooking. Zito prefers baking, especially sourdough bread,” explained Christin. “Eating healthier helped both of us to lose weight. However, we allowed the occasional cheat day. One day Zito decided to make some sourdough cinnamon rolls and thought, ‘dang, these are great.'”
The couple figured that by working in their home kitchen, they could make what Zito characterized as extra “grocery money.” That’s how the couple began selling the sweet sourdough concoction to neighbors. It wasn’t long before the demand for their tasty rolls stretched the limits of their home kitchen, so they purchased a commercial-grade oven. Once they realized even the best home mixer couldn’t meet the new demand, finding a commercial baking space became a priority.
“Fitting a 200-pound, commercial mixer into your home kitchen isn’t easy,” Zito emphasized. “It’s not something you can tuck in the cabinet after you finish. That’s when we realized we needed a commercial kitchen space and found a fantastic location at Citizen Kitchens.”
Christin embraced her husband’s desire to bake sourdough cinnamon rolls. Another priority was accounting for their time. “It’s like someone handing you a million dollars. Although it wasn’t money, we were gifted with time, so I wanted us to use it wisely.”
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Equally important is their desire to help struggling music professionals. “We work in creative professions alongside creative people. Zito and I want to encourage people who are struggling during the pandemic; to move forward and pursue things,” Christin emphasized. “Don’t give up. Find something else to pour your passion into, just like we’re doing.”
Rock N Rollz donates $.50 of every $5.00 cinnamon roll sale to MusiCares, a Nashville nonprofit dedicated to helping those in the music industry that need financial, social, and medical assistance. Through early November, over $18,000 from the sale of RockNRollz tasty rolls has gone to MusiCares.
Hundreds of touring musical artists, along with even more people ranging from musicians, to sound and lighting professionals, merchandisers, to part-time venue employees are suffering financially without tour work,” Zito passionately noted. “That’s how the concept of ‘buy a roll, help a roadie,’ began.”
Overwhelmed and needing help, Zito reached out to unemployed touring professionals needing work. “When we needed help, we hired former roadies to help out. At the end of the day, when we want to give up, we can’t because too many people need our help.”
RockNRollz sells individual sourdough cinnamon rolls for $5.00 each. You can also purchase a “Z-Pac,” or six bake-at-home rolls for $27. So far, over 20,000 delicious sourdough cinnamon rolls have been produced.
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Because of limited capacity, cinnamon rolls must be pre-ordered. Every Wednesday at 5 pm local time, customers can order via the RockNRollz Nashville website. Orders fill up quickly, so don’t delay, or you’ll miss out. Also, all orders are for the current week, so placing advance orders isn’t an option.
“We’re averaging 1200 rolls a week, making 2000 at peak times,” said Christin. “With limited capacity, pre-ordering is essential. That way, we limit food waste too.”
Delivery is by pick-up only, and the exact location is emailed with your order confirmation. After placing an online order, you can pick up your order on Saturdays and Sundays from the following areas:
- East Nashville, Saturdays 10-11 am
- Richland Farmers Market, Saturdays 9 am-Noon
- Franklin, Saturdays 10 am-Noon
- Mount Juliet, Sundays 10-11 am
- Other “pop-up” locations are announced on their website.
Christin is performing some limited hair and makeup work. However, Zito doesn’t see his work starting back anytime soon. “I don’t foresee a clear path to working on large-scale musical touring until schools and businesses completely reopen. When and if that does happen, we’ll find others to carry the business forward. We’re open to ideas and want to plan wisely.”
“Lots of people are waiting for their normal life to return,” added Christin. “Until then, we encourage everyone to find happiness and help others. That’s what Zito and I did, and we love every minute of the experience.”
This article was originally published in Brentwood Lifestyle magazine.