I grew up in Bayfield in a culinary family and started baking independently at the age of 9. Baking and cooking have always been my way of nurturing my loved ones. Like many people, I have experienced health issues linked to food intolerances and sensitivities, leading me to experiment with many different ways of eating. This, of course, has dictated how I cook and bake - organic and local foods have been integral in my cooking practices for decades.

After more than 10 years of gluten free eating, my daughter urged me to try making my own sourdough bread to see if the fermentation would enable me to tolerate some wheat. After a lot of experimenting, I discovered that the longer I fermented the bread the easier it was for me to digest - with few to no side effects. That long fermentation coupled with the use of only organic flours has allowed me to be able to enjoy bread and wheat products without agony for the first time in my life.

From this journey, The Mother Loaf was created. The Mother Loaf is my two and a half day fermented sourdough bread that inspired me to start my micro bakery so that I could share it with my community. I know that many people have experienced the same issues with food intolerances and sensitivities that I have. It brings me great joy to hear the stories from my customers who are now able to enjoy a slice of toasted wheat bread without agonizing side effects. While I can’t guarantee that this will be everyone’s experience, it is wonderful that it is working for some people in my community.

It brings me joy to share the baked goods that I put great care into creating with others who also wish to have more nourishing and sustainable foods in their lives. What I do is truly done with passion, care, and consciousness. Aside from using as many organic and locally grown ingredients as possible, I also painstakingly work to keep as much plastic out of my production process as possible. I use stainless steel proofing bins, wood pulp bannetons, cotton banneton covers, wooden spoons, and glass containers. Where possible I try to source ingredients that are not packaged in plastic (this is my biggest challenge). While it’s not a perfect process, I do believe in trying to do as much as possible to minimize exposure to microplastics as well as other contaminates in the baked items I produce. I am passionate about food integrity and work diligently to bring that integrity to the breads and pastries I make for my family and my business.