Hidden Gems: Meet Sarah Chisholm of Wild Rye Baking Company

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Chisholm.

Hi Sarah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself. 
My personal story starts in the suburbs of Chicago. My home was filled with art and books and parents who loved to cook. My mom is one of the best bakers I know, and I have many sweet memories of baking with her. I was an antsy child who loved to move, explore, and express herself. My parents put me in ballet quite early, and it was in the dance studio that I found direction, passion, and purpose.

I made my way to art school and from there, professional ballet companies. I was fortunate to tour with said companies and foster this ever-present love for adventure, culture, food, and community. After a career-ending injury, I found myself in a very emotionally turbulent and directionless place.

In the thick of it, a close friend told me that the tough times are the times that shape you, and it’s true. I rediscovered Sarah at that time in my life, and I learned a lot about embracing life’s promise that the only constant is change. I simultaneously fostered the love for food and particularly baking that had existed for as long as I could remember.

With no experience or training, I decided to try my hand in the restaurant world. It was a perfect match. I worked my way up from scooping cookies and sweeping floors to running the pastry program for a large restaurant group in Arizona. When I decided it was time for the next challenge, I had no idea that I would come to launch a CPG brand, but I did know that I wanted to share what I call ‘baking magic.’

It’s that hard to describe, but perfect feeling of wonder at what happens when simple ingredients come together by hand and transform into delicious bites that bring people joy! It’s the coolest. I’m a dork for connection and for loving people through food, especially baking. So here we are! I made a business for that purpose. Wild Rye Baking is a collection of baking mixes designed to inspire easy and connected moments at home and with the people who mean the most to us.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Who says the process was smooth?!? LOL. There have been many struggles. One of the personal struggles has been embracing the process. I strive for perfection and care very much about the appearance of my work and my world. I think this is the ballerina in me. We rehearse and rehearse and fine-tune until a piece is ready for the stage. So much of our work happens behind the scenes.

I have a hard time letting people see the mess. However, when you own your own business, you see it through many stages, and there is a lot of mess. If you wait for things to be perfect, then you never start, and you never grow. Sometimes, just putting yourself out there is the hardest part. It’s something I am constantly reminding myself of.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Quite simply, we make the best baking mixes on the planet: pancakes, frostings, cakes… that’s what we do. We’ve got gluten-free and vegan mixes along with the classics (for the gluten lovers of the world), and we are all about making life easier, more delicious, and more fun! We believe that life is worth celebrating, and our products allow for more time spent enjoying and less time stressing.

Before I started Wild Rye, I saw a lot of opportunities in the market for high-quality baking mixes. Most of the products you find on the shelves are full of artificial everything, made with cheap ingredients, and lack a lot of soul. If you’re looking for gluten-free or vegan versions of these mixes, your options are even more limited.

So I changed things! I took my experience as a chef working with really incredible ingredients and made a line of baking mixes that chefs would want to use. Our artisan mixes are made with the best ingredients, by hand, with love. They allow you to make bougie bakery cakes and pancakes in your home with a bowl, a whisk, and 3 ingredients.

What does success mean to you?
Oh, man. I think this is an ever-changing and entirely individual answer. It probably should be different for everybody, right? For me, success means a feeling of contentment and an appreciation for my life. It means the freedom to support myself, my team, and my family. It means the space to be present with the people who mean the most to me. It means being at peace.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wildryebaking.com
• Instagram: @wildryebaking
• Facebook: @wildryebaking
• Youtube: @wildryebakingco.120

Image Credits
Neal Mei Photography