in Wallace

brings a treat to Pink Hill

Story by Lauren Branch

after she started selling fudge to raise money for her dog’s surgery after getting hit by a car.

Kari used a special recipe from her husband’s grandmother, who was known for her peanut butter fudge, later she also started baking cookies. Even after the couple had raised enough money for their dog’s surgery, Kari’s baking goods were such a hit that people kept asking her to make more.

Although Kari loved to bake ever since she was a child, she didn’t know she would one day own a bakery.

Although Kari loved to bake ever since she was a child, she didn’t know she would one day own a bakery. Things just fell into place for her

Hoping to expand Kari decided to try baking apple jacks, she said pointing out that her husband loves them. He would tell her about how great the ones were at the Wayne County Fair and made sure she knew she had big shoes to fill if she decided to try them out.

“I had to play around with the recipe, and once I got that dialed in they soared! People fell in love with them!”

Coincidently, the church that normally sells the applejacks at the fair didn’t have enough volunteers to do their booth. They heard that Kari made good ones, and called her to offer her their spot. Now Kari’s Bakery can be found selling applejacks at the Wayne County Fair.

Outside of fudge and applejacks, Kari is known for her cookies. These are not your ordinary cookies. She makes large 6-ounce cookies and does gourmet flavors like s’mores, snickerdoodles, and cinnamon roll flavors. According to Kari, choosing which one is the best really depends on the person you ask.

Before having a bakery, Kari had been a stay at home mom for about 10 years. She was originally a surgical tech but decided to stay at home after she had her second child, Whitney, who is now 12 years old. She also has three other kids, Parker, 13, Logan, 10, and Adelyn, 7.

Kari shared that all of her kids like helping her with the business. They help with labeling and packaging. Parker and Whitney travel to festivals to help her run her booth. Her husband also helps out a lot, and she believes she couldn’t do it without her family.

“I don’t have to beg them or anything. I think it’s pretty awesome that they like to help me with it. It’s like a family business. I think it’s helping them to have a good work ethic, and I want them to know that anything they set their mind to, with hard work and dedication, they can be successful at it. If they can dream it, they can achieve it!”

Kari’s Bakery has been steadily growing, and now has a section in Brewed on Broadway, a new coffee shop in Pink Hill that is operated by Penny Harper. Kari’s Bakery delivers fresh baked goods there every day.