A Journey of Baking, Family, and Unexpected Beginnings

I grew up surrounded by the warmth of my grandmother’s kitchen, where the scent of fresh-baked cookies, zucchini bread, preacher’s cake, and rhubarb pie filled the air. She was always baking, always sharing, always creating something special for those around her. My mother, too, was a wonderful cook and baker—when she had the time. With two wild kids and my youngest sister, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at just eight years old, her hands were always full. But despite working full-time at the hospital, training as a long-distance runner, and being both a swim and soccer mom, she still found a way to balance sugar-filled treats with sugar-free creations.

It was my mom who taught me how to cook my first meal—her homemade spaghetti and meatballs, my absolute favorite. I would seriously cry if she served dinner with jarred pasta sauce. That pasta sauce, along with her homemade pizza dough and pizza sauce, became recipes I carried with me through life. I made them for anyone and everyone. My love for cooking and baking only grew over time, nurtured by close friends, housemates, and the simple joy of sharing food with those I cared about. My ex-husband—still my dear friend and an amazing co-parent—used to joke that he married me for my homemade pizza. And yes, I was that girl—the one who made countless Christmas cookies and treats for everyone I adored, the one who always arrived at gatherings with a homemade dessert (and sometimes a fun appetizer, too!).

I always said that one day, I wanted to open a bakery. But when that day finally came, it happened in a way I never expected.

A Turning Point

After moving back to California with my young kids, I found myself at a crossroads. I was going through a divorce, trying to figure out how to navigate life as a single mom, and suddenly faced with devastating news—my mother, back in Wisconsin, had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. I felt lost, unsure of what direction to take. Do I go back to commuting long hours for work while raising my kids, juggling school drop-offs and after-school activities? It all seemed impossible. And then, my mother’s diagnosis became the only thing that mattered.

My father needed to travel to Costa Rica to check on their other house, so I decided to fly to Wisconsin for a couple weeks to take care of my mom while she underwent chemo. I bought a MacBook Air, thinking I’d need something to keep me occupied during the long, quiet hours while she rested. That decision sparked something I never saw coming—the birth of my gluten-free and dairy-free bakery.

I knew I wanted to start a business, and the first step was creating a logo & website, which were easy things for me to do. I had been experimenting with a gluten-free lifestyle for eight months, and since my daughter had been born allergic to dairy, I had already spent years perfecting dairy-free baking. So I decided to offer options: every baked good on my website could be ordered as regular, gluten-free, and/or dairy-free. But I didn’t stop there—I made my website fun, incorporating my love for music. I named every menu item after a favorite song, pulling inspiration from the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Neil Young, Widespread Panic, ALO, and more. Every baked good I created had a connection to a song that shaped my life.

The Healing Power of Food & THC

Before I got to Wisconsin, my dad warned me that my mom had stopped eating. My brother, determined to help, got high-dose THC tinctures from the medical dispensary, and I brought them with me. Those tinctures saved her and I was able to cook for her. She took them more consistently than any prescribed medication, and soon, she was eating again. It gave her the strength she needed.

Doctors had given my mother a grim prognosis, saying that within five years, the cancer would spread everywhere. They didn’t think she had much more time than that. But here we are, nearly 14 years later, and my mom is still with us—completely cancer-free. We are beyond grateful.

The Birth of a Bakery Business

After caring for my mom, I returned to California, determined to turn my newfound passion into a real business. I found a shared kitchen space and baked constantly at home. I built a brand—taking photos, making promotional materials, and offering samples to local coffee shops. One of my first stops was Boulder Creek Brewery, owned by an old friend, Nancy.

Nancy was an incredible baker herself, so asking if she’d carry my baked goods felt like a stretch. But instead of turning me down, she presented me with a challenge: she needed a really good gluten-free hamburger bun. At the time, I had never imagined myself as a gluten-free baker—but I was up for the challenge.

I threw myself into research, experimenting with different recipes, adjusting ingredients, and crafting my own flour blends. After a lot of trial and error, I finally created a delicious gluten-free hamburger bun. Nancy loved it, and Boulder Creek Brewery became the first restaurant to serve my buns. From there, word spread fast—soon, my gluten-free buns were on the menu at 30+ different restaurants across Santa Cruz and the Bay Area.

With demand skyrocketing, I kept baking. Coffee shops wanted more gluten-free options, so I expanded—offering muffins, sweet breads, quiches, cinnamon rolls, and more. Before I knew it, I had become a professional gluten-free baker. It was the hardest-working time of my life—juggling motherhood with a rapidly growing business, baking nonstop, day and night.

And that was just the beginning.