10/05/2026
Three years ago, I started The Ozarks Wildcrafter with a simple mission: to bring high-quality, homemade baked goods back to our local communities. 🍞🥖
For me, baking has never been just about food. It’s about family, tradition, and creating something with your own two hands. 🫶🏻
Some of my earliest memories are in the kitchen with my mom and grandma. Even as a toddler, I was right there beside them—watching, helping, learning, and of course, sampling along the way. Cookies, pies, cakes, breads, and the heritage baked goods passed down through my Norwegian and German roots were all part of growing up. 🥧
Those kitchens were where I learned that recipes can carry stories, traditions can be preserved through food, and something as simple as a homemade treat can bring people together. 🫂
When I started my own family, those lessons became even more meaningful. I began taking a much deeper look at the food industry and at what I was feeding my children. I wanted better for them. I wanted to know what was going into our food, where our ingredients came from, and how the food on our table was made. So, I started making nearly everything from scratch.
What began as a personal journey quickly grew into something much bigger.
Friends, family, neighbors, and members of our community began enjoying the things I was making, and before long, people were asking if they could purchase them. One thing led to another, and The Ozarks Wildcrafter was born.
Today, what started in my own kitchen has become a way for me to share something deeply personal with the people around me: food made with care.
I believe homemade food should taste homemade. It should be made with quality ingredients, thoughtful preparation, and a little bit of love. I believe in preserving the recipes and traditions that came before us while also creating new traditions for the families of today.
Every cookie, pie, cake, loaf, and baked good that leaves my kitchen represents a little piece of that journey—from standing on a step stool beside my mom and grandma to building something of my own for my family and community.
The Ozarks Wildcrafter is more than a cottage bakery to me. It’s a continuation of family traditions, a commitment to quality, and a way to put real, thoughtfully made food back into the hands of the people in our communities. And, perhaps most importantly, it’s about bringing people together around the table.
Thank you for being part of this journey, for supporting a small, family-centered business, and for allowing me to share a little piece of my kitchen—and my family’s traditions—with yours. ❤️
