Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Nolan
Hi Ashley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Hi! I am Ashley Nolan, the Co-Owner of Out of the Woods Gluten-Free Bakery at 25 years old. The whole thought of starting a gluten free bakery didn’t occur until my boyfriend mentioned to me that Eva (my boyfriend’s sister) wanted to open a bakery. It just kind of clicked when I heard that. Growing up, I did bake with my mom a lot, she used to bake the simplest of things, but I still learned a lot from her, even today. One of my favorite items my mom used to bake, but it was rare was my Memaw’s Carrot Cake, and I of course had to get that recipe from my mom to make gluten-free. In December of 2021, just a few days after graduating college, that is when I got the phone call that change everything, I got diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Before the bakery started, I had gone through four and a half years of college to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and worked as a Field Service Engineer for 2 years afterwards. I had dreamed of being an engineer, but the job I had didn’t fulfill me and wore me out of engineering. Don’t get me wrong, I had learned and explored some great things at that job, but it doesn’t make me happy like bringing people with Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivities their freedom to enjoy baked goods again. So far, the reactions of excitement, joy, and relief of finding the simplest of baked goods freshly baked and delicious that are truly gluten-free brings happiness and joy to me every day. It pushes me harder to get these baked goods to more people and trying new things. I know I struggle with finding happiness in a simple chocolate chip cookie, but when I found it, I couldn’t keep it to myself. Starting with local farmer’s markets is only the beginning, but we hope, with all of our support, could get to our own brick and mortar in the future.
My name is Eva I am 19 years old and I started baking when I was younger. I started with my dad when he would make brownies after dinner some nights (though most times from a box) and I knew I always enjoyed it. It wasn’t until I was 16 when i started working in food service at the Mcdonald’s just down the street, that I realized I loved food service and wanted to stay in the field as a career. I knew I loved baking and wanted to combine my two passions by baking and selling at local farmer’s markets. I told my mom about the idea and she was thrilled, she called my brother to tell him, who then told Ashley. We decided to make it a completely gluten-free bakery and that’s where we are now.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have had some struggles along with test baking items, selling items at farmers markets at the beginning, and just butting heads with the business, but running a business can be tough on the owners. Getting past those few bumps, everything has just been leading to the next. As of right now, our small bump is getting online orders since markets don’t last all year long. Running a business is overall tough especially when neither of us went to school for business, but we are having to learn along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We are a fully gluten-free bakery that is starting out of home until we can get into our own brick and mortar. We bake gluten-free baked goods, our main focus is working on making products gluten-free rather than egg free, dairy free, sugar, etc. because not everyone has those allergens, so we aim not to deprive gluten-free diet people of everything that makes a baked good a delicious baked good. Some of our baked goods are automatically egg free or dairy free, but our focus is making the classics and some variety baked goods gluten-free. In the future, we will work on those to gain more interest.
We are most proud of the fact that we can provide celiac and gluten sensitive people to those who struggle to find and enjoy baked goods they love and giving them their “Freedom to Enjoy Again” with their restricted lifestyle.
Out of the Woods Bakery provides a variety of baked goods from classic cookies to cake/cupcakes, breads, and breakfast items.
What makes you happy?
What makes us happy isn’t just the baking delicious treats, but providing a treat or baked goods for someone who can’t enjoy them anymore with their restricted diet. The look on people’s faces, their excitement and smiles make long days and nights worth every minute. Even the people who don’t have to be gluten free, still enjoy our baked goods just as much as regular ones. My, Ashley, family being some of those people. When they taste our baked goods, and they ask for more, I know we did something right.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ootwbakery.com
- Instagram: out_of_the_woods_bakery
- Facebook: Out of the Woods Bakery
Image Credits
Owners, family and significant others of Out of the Woods Bakery.
