I followed the breadcrumbs! But really, there seemed to be a convergence of events that kept steering me to start this company. I had been in NYC for ten years and was having trouble ending a long relationship. The city had stopped feeling magical. My sister in Georgia gave birth to my second niece and asked me to be her Godmother. I realized I didn’t want to be a seasonal aunt, so I left the Northeast, which also led to a successful breakup.

 

I moved back and found a wonderful old ranch house in Brookhaven. It felt like a mansion in the countryside! And the kitchen! It was huge! With an expansive counter space … I naturally started baking. I had given myself a couple of months to settle in and relax. So I had the time to feed this little jar of flour and water twice a day for a sourdough starter. I figured I would make my own bread! Well … it was much harder than I realized, so I branched out and started making easier recipes – coffee cakes, batter breads, and then crackers. I really loved the crackers and playing with the recipe and process.

 

At one point, I had a job helping to open Southbound in Chamblee before being let go a year later. It was a freeing experience. I did not want to go back to working at a restaurant. But what else could I do? What was I passionate about? As I was dejectedly musing at my kitchen table, looking out the window. And in front of me was a big glass jar of crackers I hadn’t really noticed. That’s when I said, “Huh … maybe people want to buy these! I love them and believe in all the health benefits and the history behind them ... "

 

I brought them to my CSA guy and asked if he wanted to sell them. He did. From there, we got them in a couple of other stores. Then a booth at the next farmers market season, and more stores started carrying them. And we just kept going and growing.

 

We make sourdough crackers. The base is a seven-year-old starter made in my Chamblee kitchen. Then we use all organic ingredients to make our five flavors, sea salt, cheese, everything, rosemary olive oil, and cinnamon Sugar. We also have our everything seasoning available now and sell lots of other local delights online and in our shop.

 

Sourdough! When I moved back from NYC and made my starter, it was to play around. And, again, breadcrumbs started to fall. My aunt and uncle had gotten into sourdough and shared a cookbook with me about vital proteins. I noticed Atlanta grocery stores are much bigger than in NYC. Many of the products on the shelves were misrepresenting themselves. All these claims of added fiber and vitamins, the word "natural" was on everything, but not true. Since I had been making these crackers and used only four organic ingredients, they tasted great and didn’t need preservatives. So why can't we have something that is delicious and good for us? 

 

Take the first step and keep going. I’ve seen so many people get overwhelmed with what will be needed, what demographic to target, trying to figure out how to get into Target, etc., before they even get in production. If you have something that you believe the world would benefit from. Do it! All your plans and projections will change. And things seem to pop up at just the right time for you to handle them. It is not easy. The highs and lows can be very deep, especially at first and at critical growth points. But once you weather a few earth-shattering moments and get past them, you start climbing higher up the mountain.

 

I actually graduated with a BA in Art History from UGA. During high school and college, I worked in restaurants and enjoyed learning about food and wine. I was also a server and would often ask the chef about this or that process, ingredients, and history of the dishes. Eventually, I went on to become a beverage director and consultant. I'm familiar and comfortable with kitchens and their flow – but I never worked in one. So it was a surprise, even to me, when I decided to start a sourdough baking business.

 

We are located right on the border of Chamblee and Tucker. I live in Brookhaven, so I was glad to find a commercial kitchen space so close! Plus, it's a great location for local delivery. 

 

Between Dunwoody and Syracuse, NY

 

My Mom’s family is from Chamblee, and my Dad is from Long Island, NY. They moved down here briefly for work, and my Mom and Dad met at GA State. They had two boys and three girls. We girls live in the area, as does our Mom. Dad lives in Rochester, NY, with one brother in Athens and the other in Brooklyn. 

 

I love going to estate sales and the local antique stores. Love Pilates, tennis, and walks around Murphy Chandler. And food! I love eating out at our local spots.