The Four-Legged Friends Behind the Co-op’s Products: The Dog of Saxy Chef Jen Risley

The Four-Legged Friends Behind the Co-op’s Products: The Dog of Saxy Chef

Jen Risley - Keene, NH

Ilove shining a light on all the farmers and producers who provide a bounty of local food and other locally made products to our community. In this article, however, I move the spotlight over and down, from the businessperson to their four-legged friends -- the working dogs, cats, and other animals who also make these local products possible. This Four-Legged Farm Friend Feature highlights the dog at Saxy Chef in Antrim, NH.

Owner Aubrey Saxton of Saxy Chef makes uniquely delicious pies and other baked goods in Antrim, NH. The bakery’s team includes Cerveza, a five-year-old Rottweiler mix. She holds a remote yet critical job at Saxy Chef (since dogs are not allowed in the bakery). That role is especially needed during the holiday months when Saxy Chef bakes over 2,400 Thanksgiving pies.

“Her role at Saxy Chef is to keep me sane and relaxed,” explained Aubrey. “It is hard to stay stressed looking at that face!”

Cerveza also works occasionally at Brewtopia in Keene as the greeter. A fitting role since her name is Spanish for beer. “She got her name because I am a beer enthusiast,” shared Aubrey. “And when brainstorming possible ideas, Cerveza sounded like a good name -- and it was beer related! I often think it’s the best name ever!”

Aubrey adopted Cerveza, born in Puerto Rico, from For the Love of Dog Rottweiler Rescue in Hillsborough, NH. She’s not sure about Cerveza’s exact breed, though. “I just sent in her DNA test to get the details of her breed,” said Aubrey. “But the things I really like are her puppy-like features. She looks like a baby even though she is five -- and she has webbed feet, which is fun!”

While Aubrey’s at the bakery, Cerveza enjoys her fenced-in yard accessible to her anytime via a doggie door. “She is excellent at protecting the house and patrolling for varmints,” Aubrey continued. “Sometimes she brings a bone outside and buries it, and then digs it up again, and brings it back in the house.”

Aubrey and Cerveza enjoy fun adventures together. “We are working on fixing up a canoe so we can go out on the water together,” Aubrey added. “We’re always on the lookout for new dog-friendly places to hike, new treat flavors, and work on new tricks. Right now, we are learning to juggle tennis balls!” Aubrey finished with, “I love her more than anything. Everything she does brings me joy. She makes me happy, and it makes me happy to make her happy.” Discover more about For the Love of Dog at 4theloveofdog.org and learn more about Saxy Chef at saxychef.com.

Know of an animal I should highlight in a future article? We want to hear from you! Please email me at marketing@monadnockfood.coop.