Bakers leave their communities a little better than they found them with every bagel, loaf of bread, and pastry they serve. Each bakery holds a story. For some, bakeries are a legacy passed down through generations. For others, the bakery fills a newly-found need. Here, the art of baking is not just a craft. It’s a passion. These oral histories share the stories of bakers in Kentucky who aim to shape their communities through their bakeries.
Ouita Michel, owner of Holly Hill & Co., works to help restaurants curb food waste, and her bakery, Midway Bakery, is a model for other bakeries and restaurants. “I feel like it’s the most efficient kitchen that we have,” Ouita relates. The work has become a model for other bakeries and restaurants in the area. Lara & Robert Swan, co-owners of Great Bagel & Bakery in Lexington, introduced farm to table practices in their bakery. “We committed to this sort of like regional, local revitalization of food systems,” relates Lara. “So we partnered with some regional organic generational farmers.” The Great Bagel team freshly mills organic grains sourced from farmers in Minnesota and Illinois. Michel and the Swans join generations of dedicated bakers have baked breads in sustainable kitchens.
New Kentuckians have enriched the baking scene with their own traditions, too. La Pana in Louisville serves baked goods influenced by pastries co-owner Diego Hernandez ate growing up in Mexico. “Basically I was born in a bakery. My parents have been doing this in Oaxaca for 50 years,” says Hernandez. “I start[ed] baking with my parents, and I just realized that I really like to bake, as a living, like, start working with the dough.” Diego and co-owner Josh Gonzalez are also committed to making a place with a deep sense of community, whether through dance socials, annual Posadas, or just making sure people walk away with a good experience. “I feel really good about calling this place home,” Josh relates. “ To see how the community’s growing…I’m really excited to call Louisville home right now.”
Community-driven bakers also promote social change through their baked goods. Dawn Urrutia, owner of Georgia’s Sweet Potato Pie, with help from local companies and community centers provides books to the community to address book deserts. Urrutia envisions a little library in every Louisville zip code because every child deserves access to diverse literature, regardless of their community’s affluence. “Yes, we have our home, our house, and that’s home too.” Dawn Urrutia says about her bakery. “I tell people when they walk in these doors, so you walk in as a customer, but you leave as family. So when people come back, I say, ‘Hey, welcome home.’” Kentucky bakers aren’t just serving bread and pastries. They’re also offering a place of belonging.
