I specialize in baking authentic German breads and other baked goods, both savory and sweet. Some of my most popular products are pretzels, Brioche bread, cakes, and strudels. Once the expansion of the cottage food law takes effect in September this year, I also plan to add a rotating weekly dinner takeout option of popular German dishes.

I started in May 2024, not long after another disappointing experience trying to find authentic German food in Arizona. It made me want to start a German food venture of my own, simply because there are so many Americans of German background looking for the same, but what is out there is not meeting that demand. I was still tossing the idea around in my mind when a friend and fellow cottage baker kept encouraging me to get my cottage license and get started. Because of my large family, I already had a commercial-size mixer, as well as a double-oven, combined with over three decades of kitchen experience to build on. I have always loved baking so the biggest challenge in getting started was the technical aspect of it all - coming up with a name and logo, building the webstore, purchasing packaging, making labels, advertising, and other things like that. The baking itself and interacting with customers came easy. Things took off so quickly that after the first week, I added a second (much bigger) commercial mixer, as well as had my kitchen outfitted with a second double oven and built out an additional pantry. This allowed us to produce in greater quantities and meet the high demand of orders almost right from the start.

To me, integrity is paramount when it comes to food. What we eat is such a fundamental aspect of life. To serve others with food I prepare is a responsibility and privilege I take extremely seriously. I'd rather not do it at all, than to not strive for the absolute best. I want my customers to know and taste that I will only serve food I personally believe in, and would feel good about serving my loved ones.

Aside from offering only authentic German baked goods, my bakery is different in that we use nothing but the highest-quality ingredients and bakeware available on the market. Almost everything is organic and/or grass-fed. We never use any artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. Ingredients are very carefully sourced, often from small-scale suppliers with a similar food philosophy. All of our bakeware is made from the safest materials such as stainless steel, glass, cast iron, and stoneware from reputable brands that have tested lead safe. We do not use anything potentially toxic such as nonstick-coated bakeware or aluminum. Additionally, continuing the German ethos of "daily bread," we do not sell anything that was not baked fresh that day to ensure our customers have the best and most authentic experience.

Baking days really start the night before, when I set my kitchen up for an early start the next morning. After the usual nightly deep-clean of my kitchen from top to bottom, I set up an extra work table, lay out baking sheets and other equipment, take a final look over orders for the next day, pull out my recipes I will be using, and make a plan for what to bake in which order. In the morning, rising early is important to ensure the baked goods are available to my customers by a reasonable hour, as well as to get ahead of my family getting up for the day. I enjoy these quiet, busy morning hours. By 8 a.m., my daughter-in-law arrives to help in the bakery, while my teenagers contribute by helping with their younger siblings. The morning pickup window is from 11 AM to 1 PM, so everything has to be ready before then. After lunch and morning pickups, I finish working on orders for the afternoon pickup window (which is from 4 - 7 PM). Oftentimes after the last customer has picked up, I make a run to buy more ingredients and restock any supplies I am starting to run low on. Then the cycle starts all over. In a typical week, I have three baking days where I sell from my house, as well as one or two days filling orders for wholesale customers. Days off are spent baking trial batches of new items I am adding to the menu, photographing them, and working on countless behind-the-scenes tasks necessary to run a small business. And yes, virtually every single time I answer the door, the first thing I hear is, "Wow, your house smells amazing!" - something that always brings me great joy and I never tire of hearing!

Most of my customers have some sort of German background, such as expats living in the US, Americans descended from German immigrants, or those who have spent a significant amount of time living in Germany (i.e. former military). They are buying from my bakery to enjoy the food they had "back home" or growing up with a German mom or grandma, and reliving all the memories centered around food as an integral part of daily life. It is a great joy getting to speak German with those who speak it, practicing with those who are learning, and connecting with this unique ethnic group.

You can find us on social media platforms under our handle, @omasgermanbakery. Like and follow our Facebook page to never miss a post at the beginning of each week listing the products available that week. In addition to these weekly offerings, larger quantities (such as a dozen pretzels or a whole cake) can be preordered for any available date. Besides the products listed on the website, we take special orders for any other German baked goods you may be looking for.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (I Cor. 10:31) I strive for excellence by conviction, and serve every customer the way I would want my own loved ones to be served.