08/13/2025
It is with greatly mixed emotions that I write to you all about the conclusion of Wonderland. In the beginning of my work at this bakery, it was very much a labor of love. It felt like I had undergone the perfect storm of training throughout my journey of working in many local kitchens before I began Wonderland.
Creativity flowed freely from a place within me that was nurtured in the late-night kitchen conversations I had with Chef Phillipe Forcioli during my Greenfire days. Numbers, profits, costs, turn arounds and order came easily from a lot of my time with Jake and Benny at Franchesco’s & Fresco in the Gardens. Going the distance and making the effort to go the next step had been forged in the many years of catering jobs with Chef Paul Sletten. The passion of working early mornings into late nights for years at a time without breaks or vacations was drawn from the lengthy amounts of time I had spent in survival mode mentally and emotionally. The grit and drive came from a natural place that had been developing in me since my childhood. As I evolved, so did Wonderland.
The most provoking shift I experienced was learning I could make my dreams a reality. What I didn’t know was that God had been working on me throughout this entire process. As I began my journey into a storefront bakery, I began my journey with Him. It is funny looking back on it. While he was planting and rooting me in Him, Wonderland ended up in a store called Rooted. Being there was more than what I could have ever expected or imagined. The victories and the trials were all so carefully orchestrated by the God of the Universe to bring me to a place of invitation to partner with Him.
While I will miss bakery life and this industry, I understand I am made for more. I thank each and every one of you that has supported Wonderland for almost a decade! It’s been a wonderful journey and I will never forget it.
As Francis Chan says, “Let us be eager to leave what is familiar for what is true.”
