April 2024 Special Needs Living Magazine

Question & Answer Session with Becky Lile

Owner and operator of sift dye free bakery

Q. Where do you work currently?

A. Sift Dye Free Bakery! I operate it out of my home as a cottage baker.

Q. What is your job title here?

A. I wear many, really all, hats here. But primarily I am the owner and baker.

Q. How long have you been employed with your current job?

A. I started Sift in 2022 and ran it for most of the year but had to take a step back to focus all my time on my son with autism. I started Sift back up at the beginning of this year.

Q. What do your day-to-day job responsibilities include?

A. I am a one-woman show, so I do it all. I plan out what needs to be baked, buy the ingredients, bake the orders, run my social media, test new recipes, pack up orders and practice my piping techniques.

Q. What is the inspiration behind why you work in this field?

A. My son has autism and was having a lot of aggression issues. After a fellow autism mom mentioned Red 40 and the effects it had on her son, I did some research and found out what food dyes are made of and how they can affect neurodivergent brains. We cut all food dyes out about a year ago and saw a huge difference in him. Yellow really affects his behavior.

Q. What part of your job are you most passionate about?

A. I am so passionate about being able to provide delicious dye-free sweet treats for everyone, especially my fellow neurodivergent families. Some kids don’t get to have cupcakes or cakes on their birthday, but I get to provide that simple luxury many take for granted.

Q. Do you feel like you’re making a difference in your job and why?

A. I do. There aren’t bakeries doing dye-free treats, but it is so needed in the community. I know the struggle of going to birthday parties and having to keep a close eye on my kids to make sure they don’t eat the cake or cookies that I know have dye in them. Having a dye-free bakery I hope to encourage others to order from me so all their guests can enjoy the desserts.

Q. What is something you would change in your field for the better if you could?

A. If I could get rid of all synthetic dyes I would. They are harmful to so many. I know we all eat with our eyes but so much of our food has added dye for no reason.

Q. What advice would you give to parents in your field to help navigate?

A. Don’t give up. You know what’s best for your kiddos. Look at every label because things you wouldn’t think have dye in them, do.

Q. Where do you see your industry going moving forward?

A. I do see a shift in ‘no added colors’ to so many products and some states are starting to outlaw certain food dyes. I’d love to see everyone band together to outlaw all synthetic dyes.

Q. What has been the biggest factor in your career success?

A. If I will not eat it, I won’t sell it. Quality and tastiness is top of my list and when you taste something from me you know it is made with so much love. I make the vast majority of my fillings from scratch and use whole foods which makes a huge difference in flavor.

Q, What is your favorite non-profit organization or volunteer opportunity?

A. I love Compassion Delivered. I am hoping to be able to volunteer this year in the kitchen and be a small part of the difference that they are making.

We are excited to announce Becky will be coming to future editions of our magazine as a contributor! Be on the lookout for her future articles!