There are so many pieces to my baking journey.  It started with my childhood best friend, from a young age we would gather in the kitchen and bake until the pantry was out of supplies. This led me to discover innovative ingredients. I would experiment with things like raspberry yogurt, applesauce, or just about anything I could get my hands on…

Growing up, my family has always been rooted in food. My father, an entrepreneur in the restaurant business; and my mother, the Sunday chef. Each week culminates on Sunday night, when we come together to share. We share our adventures and our struggles, but undoubtedly we share over something delicious.

This is where I began to share my baked goods. Most of the time, dessert is met with excitement and occasionally it is met with hesitation, as I explain the new technique or recipe I was trying to bake. Nevertheless, they are always the first taste testers for me. They tell me if a recipe is good or they change the subject if the dessert is more of a -- “better luck, next time”.

The older I get the more I learn about my family’s history surrounded by food, especially baking. I learned my maternal grandparents ran a bakery in Italy, they provided bread for everyone in their little village. Whimsical, am I right? My father’s grandmother was the owner of the largest and most organized book of recipes. This book is filled with some of his best childhood memories, and I have been lucky enough to sift through and pluck from them.

It felt, and continues to feel, that baking is a part of who I am.

Why Yellow Couch?

I get this question often. It started when I was moving into my first apartment, I was living alone and I realized… I do not have nearly enough “stuff” to even fill a one bedroom apartment. No couch- nothing for my living room, no dining room table or chairs – for that matter. I was 24 and definitely on a budget. Luckily, I know some pretty generous people. My mom said there was a big couch out in their barn, but it would need some cleaning up. I was fine with that, nothing like an old, free couch, right? It turned out the couch was mustard yellow. I was sold.

The couch turned into a staple throughout the next two years of my life. Plenty of laughs, tears, mistakes and accomplishments were experienced on the big yellow couch. Friends from all over visited me, slept, or just passed through on whatever journey they were traveling. I frequently sat on the yellow couch, eagerly awaiting whatever was in my little oven and filling my tiny apartment with warm, sweet smells. But most importantly, the yellow couch is where I took a leap. It is where big ideas began, and where I started creating. I sketched and painted my logo, I thought a lot about my goals. I dreamed and began working toward my first shop. Right now, the baking is done from my home, but one day I will share a little shop where all are loved, welcomed, and well fed.

Cheers.