Open for business

Fresh baked bread, homegrown vegetables, artistic creations, and flowering plants are just a few of the things you will see at farmers markets this season. All around the Lake area you will find markets opening, offering the best selection of local products available. Check out these markets this summer!

The Business of Baking

You can easily say baking is in Amanda Hoover’s blood. Her parents started Dutch Bakery in Tipton 37 years ago, and her brothers own and run the business today.

“I basically grew up in a bakery,” she said. “I started decorating cakes and cookies when I was about 13 years-old.”

Just after she got married 15 years ago, Hoover created and began running The Sweet Farm Bakery out of her home. It was in a separate location from her residence and therefore inspected. For that reason, she was able to sell her products to other stores. In March of 2019, she started baking out of her kitchen in her Versailles home and now sells her goods direct in accordance with the Cottage Food Law.

Hoover takes orders for custom cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. She caters to a number of events, including showers, graduation parties and weddings. She sells additional items, including apple fritters, jalapeño popper bread, donut holes, cinnamon fritters and more at the farmers market, vendor events and the Versailles Apple Festival. “I always throw in random things at the markets,” she said.

Hoover works alone the majority of the time and makes everything from scratch. She does have a prep helper that works