While most locals know you as the woman who has brought delicious bread and a beautiful new bakery, LMNOP to Katonah, some may not realize that your path to baker and business owner has included artist, Fulbright scholar, milliner and costume designer. Can you share a little bit about your journey and what eventually led you to bread?
Yes, it may seem like a strange path! Fashion, costume, sculpture? In the Fiber MFA program at Cranbook, we all worked with different media but found commonalities in repetition almost as meditation and mindfulness. Artists often become lost in the moment of making. But I struggled with the bit about convincing customers they needed these clothes I was making, did they really? Was it worth the high price tag? I was thrilled to find work in the costume industry- still making- still creatively satisfying, but there was a disconnect between the makers behind the scene and the stage. I started making bread when we moved to Westchester and really could hand off to friends something they needed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and I got to see how happy it made people to have fresh homemade bread. Baking is not that unlike my other endeavors, in that it is indeed a craft, a skill honed by repetition and attention to detail. It is also rather addictive, as there is always room for improvement and more to learn.
When we first met, you were still baking bread out of your home delivering to local shops and farmer’s markets. The plans for the bakery were in the works but you were far from opening the doors. I know it was an arduous process to open a brick and mortar. Can you talk about what led you to your decision to open the bakery and what some of the greatest challenges along the way have been?
During the pandemic I had an apprentice and we really started producing a lot of loaves, and I realized it was time to decide whether I wanted to stay more of a hobbyist/home baker or to take the leap and build, there simply seemed a need for a bakery here, and I knew that if I didn’t do it, someone else might also see that void needed to be filled! The greatest challenges to building were the numerous hoops to overcome - water- how much water would the bakery use daily? That was the first question from the town which I posed to so many other bakers and no one had any idea! From there, connecting 3 phase power, fitting a massive oven upstairs without the floor collapsing (engineers and structural support, opening the back wall! ) and then financing the construction. It was a challenge and a great learning experience, with the build out being at the end of the pandemic, it was at the unfortunate time when building supply costs were sky high.
Were there other restaurants, places you’ve visited or meals you’ve had that served as inspiration for the bakery?
So many! I love great food, I love going out to eat, I love to travel. I’ve spent time living in Paris and adore the classic bistro, but also had a wonderful trip to northern California and was influenced by the beach vibes there. My good friend Liberty and I have traveled the world together as well over the years and have had a blast designing LMNOP into the space we would want to go to, and bringing that feeling right here to downtown Katonah.
I just love the name LMNOP, how did you come up with it? I’m guessing it might have had something to do with your twin daughters??
Our kids learned the alphabet and blurred the ‘LMNOP’ together as if it were one word- holding together the alphabet. When our twins were young, we spent sweet moments rocking them and singing a lullaby… or many… every night. Sometimes they would be drawn out of their room (when they were supposed to be asleep) by the smell of freshly baked bread. Instead of the classic go-to-sleep elixir of warm milk and honey, I gave them warm bread and butter and it did the trick. So, LMNOP Bakery it became.
You put a lot of thought into each of the ingredients that go into your bread + baked goods including where they are sourced from. What makes the products at LMNOP stand out from other organic baked goods?
We strive at LMNOP to come up with the new. We try to leave the classics to the wonderful home bakers ( like banana bread! chocolate chip cookies…) and focus our efforts on what the home baker might not have time to do, or put a new twist on it and have fun. Cacio e Pepe bread? Why not? Pastries all based on tropical spring break drinks? YES!
What was it like sharing your kitchen at LMNOP with Martha Stewart?!! Is that something you ever imagined doing?
It was completely surreal! Definitely not something I ever, ever thought would happen. However, Martha called my cell one day years ago and asked for bread, as well as questioned when we were opening the bakery? She completely took me by surprise and I was in her kitchen a couple of hours later with hot loaves. I left with fresh quince from her orchard and CBD dog treats she was just starting to make! Ha! She’s been a customer and supporter ever since. She also took me by surprise by showing up on the first Saturday we were open, at the top of the stairs. As she looked around the production area upstairs, I just had a feeling she had an idea for something. We had a great time during the shoot for her Roku show, but I will never get over how funny it felt to be ‘teaching’ Martha Stewart how to make bread.
Now that the doors to LMNOP have been open for a few months and you’ve settled into a bit of a routine with the staff and bakery, what are you most looking forward to when it comes to your business and our community?
We are getting so many requests for events to be held at the bakery, or to participate in local events! From private parties to book clubs and meditation groups, it’s wonderful to be able to provide a space that can be used by the community to come together.
What advice would you give to others thinking about opening a brick and mortar or restaurant in our area?
Be ready! Everything takes longer than you think and will and cost more than you think it will! Happy to chat further and in more detail if anyone wants to learn more about the process.
You and I started Women Making Waves together which has now grown into the Fern Hill Project. In our initial conversations about starting a local women’s network, you talked about how valuable the women in this community had been for you and how you wanted to help pay it forward. Can you share a little about those relationships and how they have impacted you both personally and professionally?
We are lucky to be completely surrounded by strong women doing amazing things in so many different fields. Chatting with local business owners when I was still looking for a space downtown, and honestly pretty nervous about it, they all said go for it, take the leap, it will be worth it. Sometimes, you need that little extra push.
Lightning Round:
Favorite spot in Northern Westchester:
Any trail near a reservoir
Most favorite recent meal:
It is the most wonderful thing when someone else cooks for you! A sandwich? A dinner? A cup of coffee? Prepared with love, those are the best meals that are so needed and nourishing on long hard days!
New business you’d like to see open in our area?
I’d love to see a new restaurant open- family friendly and delicious!
What would you do with one extra hour each day?
With an extra hour?! So many things! But I think it boils down to having the ability to break out of the routine daily duties to learn something new. Whether through a simple walk in the woods to clear my head, by reading or getting out with new friends. An extra hour every once in a while to learn and shift perspective is essential.
