< Back to Oral History project: Arkansas Cottage Bakers
< Back to Oral History project: Southern Baking
ORAL HISTORY
Hannah Lavender
Sweet Lavender Bakeshop
Hannah Lavender grew up in Texarkana, Texas, before crossing over to Arkansas to attend the then-newly established culinary arts program at Pulaski Technical College in Little Rock. In 2011, after leaving school following three semesters, Lavender then began a seven-year tenure baking cakes for Little Rock’s Boulevard Bread Co. While at Boulevard, she began to accept commissions. Although she’d initially balked at the idea of doing weddings, deeming it too stressful, as word of her work circulated, she found herself inundated with requests. Eventually, a few months after getting married in winter 2017, Lavender decided to take her bakery full-time.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as a baker whose livelihood depended on weddings, Lavender’s work dried up almost immediately as clients either decided to cancel or postpone their events. She had to supplement her income by offering treat boxes, which proved exceptionally popular. However, in the years since, requests for her work have swung back with a vengeance — she worked a career-high 85-plus weddings in 2021—and she’s had to become far more adept at being able to say “No.”
