I first grew interested in baking as a kid in 4-H, where I learned how to crack an egg with a knife and properly level a cup of flour. Over the years, it has grown and flourished into not only a love for baking, but a love of art. I think I was the only student at my school to obtain a culinary degree to learn more about the artistic side of baking than actually baking.  

Ever since high school I have had a passion to build and create artistic works of art with cake, from the mixing of the ingredients to creating the final petal of a gum paste flower. I love being able to step back and think, “Wow I made that — from start to finish.”

I honed my culinary skills at a culinary college in Beckley, West Virginia. My pastry chef at the time played a crucial part in encouraging me to be creative and to pursue a bakery of my own.  It was there that I was involved in a senior project that would later inspire The Rabbit Hole: a Mad Hatter Tea Party. I had so much fun experimenting and making my very first Alice in Wonderland-themed cake. Everyone loved it, and I was hooked!  

I have always loved Alice in Wonderland for many reasons, but first and foremost because of the imagination that’s found in every part of it. That’s where much of the inspiration for the Rabbit Hole came from. It’s all built on the book’s nonsensical, whimsical theme. It’s fun, irreverent, and somehow all managed to come together. When we made the final decision on the basement shop for the bakery, my business partner, Beau and I knew it would be the perfect location for a themed bakery, and the name, “The Rabbit Hole Bakery” fit so well.

Even as the pieces started fitting into place, opening a bakery has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It still makes me tired to think back to those first 6 months. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still very hard but now it’s not as scary and we have such a great team working here.  

Sweet Gratitude

I know without a doubt that without the help of our family and friends The Rabbit Hole Bakery would not exist today.  My favorite part about starting a bakery is how every aspect of it has been touched or influenced by someone close to me. From the construction and framing of the walls, to the imaginative mural painted on the wall by my younger sister, the bakery is much more than just a building. It’s continuously becoming more and more precious to me.  

Thank you for being a part of our story. I invite you to step down into The Rabbit Home to say hello and see what fun, whimsical treats we’re baking up next in our little slice of Wonderland.