Dana Fowler

Dana Fowler started her first business — baking and selling homemade biscotti — as a teenager.

That got her considering a range of food-related careers, from restaurant management to Registered Dietitian. She began a culinary education associate degree program, then transferred to Russell Sage College’s Nutrition Science bachelor’s program. 

Many Nutrition Science majors pursue an Applied Nutrition master’s and Dietetic Internship in order to become a Registered Dietitian. 

Dana did consider becoming a Registered Dietitian, but ultimately decided to relaunch Bella Bounty Biscotti, a wholesale baking business that sells its products to local restaurants and grocery stores. Her customers’ customers wanted more — so she opened Common Crumb, a local products-focused cafe just a few miles east of Russell Sage’s Troy campus. 

“Health for the self and health for our community is why I focus on local,” she said, emphasizing that Sage definitely helped her refine her thinking about running a socially responsible business.

“The sciences were really strong, and I learned to appreciate diet, lifestyle choices, and sustainability that much more,” Dana said. “If I hadn’t taken those science classes, I wouldn’t have had the understanding to implement a lot of the core concepts that Common Crumb is based on.” 

Her commitment to sustainable practices extends from preserving the historic structure that houses her businesses, to sourcing high-quality secondhand appliances for her commercial kitchen, to the local ingredients she prioritizes, and the community she cultivates among her customers. 

Sage’s core general education classes that include service learning and career planning components also inspired Dana.

“[These classes] helped me understand more relevant applications for my passions and see what other people were passionate about,” she continued.

Dana opened Common Crumb in 2019, in a 100-year-old building that had been a schoolhouse. Her dad bought the building in the ’80s for his law practice. 

“We collaborated with him to make it not-an-office,” said Dana, who also rents the space to community members for activities, from band practice to birthday parties. 

Her long-term plans are to renovate additional rooms where other microbusiness owners can offer their products. Her short-term plans include adding some evening open mic nights this summer. (The cafe currently serves a breakfast-and-lunch crowd.)

“It’s a small town, and getting to have this establishment allows me to experience the benefits of a small town,” said Dana. “I get to know people in the community I wouldn’t otherwise get to know.”