Around the age of five Martha began mixing flour and water by her own volition. Quickly she learned that flour and water should never be put down the bathtub drain. This led to a lifelong quest to find the many things that can and should be done with flour and water. Self taught in all techniques, Martha discovered powerful combinations with the flour and water by adding sugar, salt, yeast, and butter. Mixed, shaped, proofed, baked. Envisioned, practiced, perfected, delivered. The story is simple, the product is profound. True passion in action.
Have you been?
DENNISON, MINNESOTA
The Beginning
1986
Martha was first exposed to the world of food at her parents restaurant in Dennison, Minnesota. Hanging around the kitchen and helping her mom, she learned to cook at an early age, honing her skills and practicing the dance of running a restaurant. Outside hours were spent at her uncle’s dairy farm down the road, providing the open space, fresh air, connection to land, and observation of hard work that rounded out her early connection with food. When the family sold the business and moved, she brought the whole experience along, and continued refining the practice, recipes, and formulas. In her 20’s, she worked in different establishments to continue her mastery of the art of food and service, always with the underlying dream of owing her own bakery. Before long, her calling was starting to mix and bake…
NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA
The First Venture
2006
After spending part of a season selling vegetables at the Northfield Farmers Market with her old pal Dan, Martha began offering a few baked goods at the stand. It quickly became apparent that the demand for her baking was much greater than the garden produce, as the love of vegetables could not compete with the lust for butter and sugar. And so, the switch from gardening to baking began, and rapidly evolved from a few cookies to an ever expanding variety of pastries, products, and flavors. By virtue of her character and determination, Martha was not intimidated by the challenge of learning as she went, and fervently pursued her dream, always pushing the threshold of capacity and skill. Never taking a class or training under a pastry chef, she constantly poured over cookbooks and recipes, practicing, refining, adjusting and learning at every step to expand her repertoire. Word spread through town, and the line at market soon grew long…
DUNDAS, MINNESOTA
TODAY’S bakery
2012
With perfected products, new tools, and refined skills, Martha outgrew the capacity of home baking and moved to a commercial kitchen to expand production. She joined other local food and farm pioneers in 2010 to start the Riverwalk Market Fair in downtown Northfield, and was now producing a wide variety of sweet and savory pastries: scones, tarts, turnovers, cookies, rolls, quiche, danish, and the pinnacle of pastries, the mighty croissant. Shortly thereafter, in 2012, the opportunity to open her own shop presented itself and Martha dove in. Her own space with her own kitchen offered the chance to expand again and open the bakery cafe while continuing to sell at the farmers market where it all began. Today, we continue this story, with so many chapters and characters along the way, serving delicious food and cultivating community where the butter and sugar flow freely…
See you soon.
