Red Wagon Bakery
Donation protected
UPDATED: COVID PANDEMIC AND RED WAGON BAKERY'S COMMUNITY RESPONSE...
While we wish we could remain open to the public for take-out, we decided that the most sustainable and responsible response for us was to shut our doors entirely to customers (heartbreaking, but necessary!) and introduce an alternative to our patrons during this time. Over the past two weeks, RWB has developed a platform to continue providing baked goods and RWB favorites to the community through our recently launched "CSB" program. Think: CSA, but baked goods...hence, "Community-Supported Bakery." In addition, we offer add-ons such as quiche, soup, and chicken pot pie. Our first term of sign-ups for the next five weeks has just started but we may be offering another sign-up soon in response to the interest we have garnered so far!
In addition to offering two box sizes, "The Full Wagon" and "The Half Wagon," we offer "The Community Wagon," which comes at a reduced price to incentivize our patrons to purchase it for a community member in need (we have a list of elderly folks and healthcare workers in mind who would appreciate some treats during this time!) We have absorbed the remainder of the price as our contribution to the community, as well as offering delivery to those people receiving the Community Wagons. If you would like to make a contribution to our GoFundMe to aid in those absorption costs, or simply help us out during a time of uncertainty in our business, we would be so grateful. Our one year anniversary of being open fell on March 15th this year; the same day that our governor shut down all public schools and put forth the "Take Out Only" ban on restaurants. Not the anniversary party I had imagined! But we cannot wait to celebrate with our customers once we return to normalcy. As it is becoming clear to us and the world, however, "normalcy" may be a long way off. So we're adapting to this New Normal and making the best of it! We could not be more grateful...blown away...overwhelmed by the support of our town and greater community. Thank you so much. Support your local spots: patronize if you can, donate, write a nice review (now that you have all that time on your hands!), share a post, buy a gift certificate, deliver something nice to someone feeling low...if this crisis has proven anything, it is how stalwart and stubbornly supportive our patrons are. We feel the solidarity and we'll get to the other side. THANK YOU.
If you wish to read on, the following is the original post from my GoFundMe page prior to opening my bakery. It is the story of my humble beginnings...
When I was a little girl (like, literally the one in the picture), I wanted to be baker, so my mom taught me to bake. Then, I wanted to run a bakery, so my mom helped me put the chocolate chip cookies I baked into Tupperware, transport them to my red Radio Flyer Wagon, and then I proceeded to wheel them down the hill next to my house and sell them for 25 cents a piece to the high schoolers getting out of classes at the prep school where my parents worked. This went on for a year or so, until I began receiving special orders from some of the boys in my father's dorm. My Dad called me one night from dorm duty and said "Jaime will pay you $4.00 for a dozen chocolate chip cookies. Can ya whip 'em up now?" It was 8:00 o'clock at night. Obviously, I went right to work. I was homeschooled...it wasn't like I had homework to do! Thus it went on: I designed order forms, and the boys in my dad's dorm would order my cookies by the dozen. Snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin, brownies, a birthday cake or two, but mostly my specialty: chocolate chip cookies. It was quite the little business. Alas, eventually I began attending "real school," and man, homework started piling up. When was I supposed to keep up with the cookie orders? I put the business on permanent hold.
In the meantime, I did not stopped baking. I bake when I'm anxious, I bake when I'm bored, and I bake anytime I have an excuse to share it with someone. I can bake up chocolate chip cookies with my eyes closed at this point. I love to bake for people, and I love to watch others (hopefully!) enjoy what I bake -- be it cookies, breads, a pie, a quiche, a cake.
My freshman year of college I infamously got a craving for a key lime pie, but instead of finding a frozen one at the local Wegmans, I insisted upon finding someone to drive me to Wegmans, buying a bag of three dozen key limes (as well as the other necessary ingredients), carting them back to my fourth floor dorm room, squeezing each key lime by hand, assembling the pie, and then walking it down four flights of stairs, through a patch of woods, across a street, and into my friend's house because I didn't have access to an oven in my dorm. That was a well-deserved bite of pie once it finally cooled and set.
Once I moved out of Freshman housing, I was never without an oven in college again. And during any respite in homework (or rather when I had so much homework I couldn't even think about doing it), I baked. I baked for my housemates, I baked for my friends, for my professors, for parties, for birthdays; for no reason at all. When I finally lived in my own apartment senior year, I hosted dinner parties and found absolute joy in preparing entire meals for my closest friends (with a little help, of course).
In my job as a nanny in New York City prior to opening my bakery, I was able to put my love of baking to good use: kids love baked goods! In addition, I was only too happy to bake up goodies for the children's bake sales at school, Valentine exchanges, and holiday parties. When the children I nannied were in school, I often used the time in their apartment to experiment and find ways to introduce the kids to new foods through baking. The family for whom I worked always half-joked that all my baking was practice for when I owned my own bakery someday. "Haha! Someday!" I'd say. Someday indeed.
As it turns out, "someday" became March 2019 when I signed the dotted line and got the keys to my very own bakery. So here I am. With the stuff of someday dreams at my doorstep. And I am so thankful for all those "somedays" that helped bring me to where I am, as well as the constant support from my friends, family, and past employers.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
With my love and appreciation,
Nellie
Baker-in-Chief
Red Wagon Bakery
Canaan, NH
While we wish we could remain open to the public for take-out, we decided that the most sustainable and responsible response for us was to shut our doors entirely to customers (heartbreaking, but necessary!) and introduce an alternative to our patrons during this time. Over the past two weeks, RWB has developed a platform to continue providing baked goods and RWB favorites to the community through our recently launched "CSB" program. Think: CSA, but baked goods...hence, "Community-Supported Bakery." In addition, we offer add-ons such as quiche, soup, and chicken pot pie. Our first term of sign-ups for the next five weeks has just started but we may be offering another sign-up soon in response to the interest we have garnered so far!
In addition to offering two box sizes, "The Full Wagon" and "The Half Wagon," we offer "The Community Wagon," which comes at a reduced price to incentivize our patrons to purchase it for a community member in need (we have a list of elderly folks and healthcare workers in mind who would appreciate some treats during this time!) We have absorbed the remainder of the price as our contribution to the community, as well as offering delivery to those people receiving the Community Wagons. If you would like to make a contribution to our GoFundMe to aid in those absorption costs, or simply help us out during a time of uncertainty in our business, we would be so grateful. Our one year anniversary of being open fell on March 15th this year; the same day that our governor shut down all public schools and put forth the "Take Out Only" ban on restaurants. Not the anniversary party I had imagined! But we cannot wait to celebrate with our customers once we return to normalcy. As it is becoming clear to us and the world, however, "normalcy" may be a long way off. So we're adapting to this New Normal and making the best of it! We could not be more grateful...blown away...overwhelmed by the support of our town and greater community. Thank you so much. Support your local spots: patronize if you can, donate, write a nice review (now that you have all that time on your hands!), share a post, buy a gift certificate, deliver something nice to someone feeling low...if this crisis has proven anything, it is how stalwart and stubbornly supportive our patrons are. We feel the solidarity and we'll get to the other side. THANK YOU.
If you wish to read on, the following is the original post from my GoFundMe page prior to opening my bakery. It is the story of my humble beginnings...
When I was a little girl (like, literally the one in the picture), I wanted to be baker, so my mom taught me to bake. Then, I wanted to run a bakery, so my mom helped me put the chocolate chip cookies I baked into Tupperware, transport them to my red Radio Flyer Wagon, and then I proceeded to wheel them down the hill next to my house and sell them for 25 cents a piece to the high schoolers getting out of classes at the prep school where my parents worked. This went on for a year or so, until I began receiving special orders from some of the boys in my father's dorm. My Dad called me one night from dorm duty and said "Jaime will pay you $4.00 for a dozen chocolate chip cookies. Can ya whip 'em up now?" It was 8:00 o'clock at night. Obviously, I went right to work. I was homeschooled...it wasn't like I had homework to do! Thus it went on: I designed order forms, and the boys in my dad's dorm would order my cookies by the dozen. Snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin, brownies, a birthday cake or two, but mostly my specialty: chocolate chip cookies. It was quite the little business. Alas, eventually I began attending "real school," and man, homework started piling up. When was I supposed to keep up with the cookie orders? I put the business on permanent hold.
In the meantime, I did not stopped baking. I bake when I'm anxious, I bake when I'm bored, and I bake anytime I have an excuse to share it with someone. I can bake up chocolate chip cookies with my eyes closed at this point. I love to bake for people, and I love to watch others (hopefully!) enjoy what I bake -- be it cookies, breads, a pie, a quiche, a cake.
My freshman year of college I infamously got a craving for a key lime pie, but instead of finding a frozen one at the local Wegmans, I insisted upon finding someone to drive me to Wegmans, buying a bag of three dozen key limes (as well as the other necessary ingredients), carting them back to my fourth floor dorm room, squeezing each key lime by hand, assembling the pie, and then walking it down four flights of stairs, through a patch of woods, across a street, and into my friend's house because I didn't have access to an oven in my dorm. That was a well-deserved bite of pie once it finally cooled and set.
Once I moved out of Freshman housing, I was never without an oven in college again. And during any respite in homework (or rather when I had so much homework I couldn't even think about doing it), I baked. I baked for my housemates, I baked for my friends, for my professors, for parties, for birthdays; for no reason at all. When I finally lived in my own apartment senior year, I hosted dinner parties and found absolute joy in preparing entire meals for my closest friends (with a little help, of course).
In my job as a nanny in New York City prior to opening my bakery, I was able to put my love of baking to good use: kids love baked goods! In addition, I was only too happy to bake up goodies for the children's bake sales at school, Valentine exchanges, and holiday parties. When the children I nannied were in school, I often used the time in their apartment to experiment and find ways to introduce the kids to new foods through baking. The family for whom I worked always half-joked that all my baking was practice for when I owned my own bakery someday. "Haha! Someday!" I'd say. Someday indeed.
As it turns out, "someday" became March 2019 when I signed the dotted line and got the keys to my very own bakery. So here I am. With the stuff of someday dreams at my doorstep. And I am so thankful for all those "somedays" that helped bring me to where I am, as well as the constant support from my friends, family, and past employers.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
With my love and appreciation,
Nellie
Baker-in-Chief
Red Wagon Bakery
Canaan, NH
Organizer
Nellie Smith
Organizer
Canaan, NH
