As seen on FOX 13 Good Day Utah
By Heather Holliday — Creator of Jo & Sandy’s Sourdough & The Micro Bakery Directory

This story is part of a rising microbakery movement — helping people easily find a local baker and discover real homemade bread in their own communities.

Something beautiful is rising here in Utah — and it’s not just sourdough.

It’s a community.
A movement.
A growing circle of passionate, small-batch bakers who are redefining what “real bread” truly means.

Across the country, people are searching for a ‘microbakery near me,’ and this movement is making it possible for them to finally find real small-batch bread again.

This month, I had the honor of standing alongside two incredible bakers — Kim Montague of Whisk N’ Whimsy and Chardon Dean of Homemade By The Deans — as the three of us helped bring visibility to this movement on FOX 13 Good Day Utah.

Together, we represented one shared story: the rise of local bakers and the return of meaningful, handmade food.

Where This All Began

Before the Micro Bakery Directory existed, I was growing my own sourdough business, Jo & Sandy’s Sourdough — a heartfelt tribute to the two mothers who shaped my life and continue to guide my work.

I was selling starter, connecting with customers, sharing bakes, and navigating local markets.
But the more I baked, the more I saw.

There was a huge gap—
between the bread lovers searching for real, handmade loafs
and the bakers quietly creating them in home kitchens across the nation.

People were constantly reaching out to me with the same questions — the same ones thousands of people type into Google every day:

“Where can I buy fresh sourdough near me?”
“Is there a list of local sourdough bakers?”
“Who sells homemade bread in my city?”
“Is there a map of micro bakeries or cottage bakers?”
“Who makes real sourdough in my area?”
“Where do I find a local bread maker instead of store-bought?”

Everyone was searching… but finding nothing.

And at the same time, bakers were messaging me with the opposite struggle:

“I wish people knew I existed.”
“I want my neighbors to find local sourdough without scrolling endlessly.”
“I feel lost in the social media shuffle — how do people discover me?”
“People keep asking where to buy bread… and I’m right here.”

This is why the directory was built — to show people exactly where to buy sourdough locally and connect them to cottage bakers near them.

There was a huge disconnect —
bread lovers looking everywhere
and
bakers quietly making incredible loaves
with no place linking the two.

That’s when the vision became clear.

We needed a bridge.
A gathering place.
A directory made just for micro and cottage bakers — something simple, warm, heartfelt, and easy for customers to use.

And so, the Micro Bakery Directory began.

These stories reflect what defines a micro bakery — small-scale, community-rooted, and built on real food.

FOX 13 News — A Moment That Helped the Movement Rise

Watch the full story here:
👉 https://www.fox13now.com/good-day-utah/small-batch-bakers-get-nationwide-spotlight-thanks-to-utahs-micro-bakery-movement

When FOX 13 came to film, they visited all three of us — each in our own homes, each with our own story, each representing the heart of the movement in our own way.

Not to promote ourselves — but to show Utah something important:

That real bread is still being made.
That bakers are everywhere.
That community and craftsmanship matter.

And that something meaningful is rising right now.

Let’s begin with a baker whose warmth is felt in every loaf – Kim Montague of Whisk N’ Whimsy.

Meet the Bakers Behind This Moment

KIM MONTAGUE — Whisk N’ Whimsy (Herriman, UT)

“Family is the flavor behind everything I make.”

Whisk N’ Whimsy microbakery Kim Montague

If you ever get the chance to step into Kim Montague’s kitchen at 2:30 in the morning, you’ll find the quietest kind of magic happening —
lights low, the house sleeping, and Kim shaping dough with the same tender rhythm she learned standing beside her mother decades ago.

She represents everything people hope to find when they’re searching for real homemade bread in their area.

Her baking story didn’t begin with a business plan.
Or a hobby.
Or even a single recipe.
It began with heritage.

Kim learned to bake the way many of the best bakers do — not from a cookbook, but from the warmth of a mother’s hands guiding hers.
She grew up in a kitchen filled with the aroma of banana bread, muffins, and weekend treats made simply because someone in the house needed comfort.

Those recipes, passed down with love and memory, eventually became the foundation of Whisk N’ Whimsy, the bakery Kim now runs with her daughter — a beautiful full-circle moment neither of them could’ve predicted.

A Heart-Led Pivot

Kim didn’t always bake full-time.
In fact, just a few years ago, she was running a craft business. But the pull toward baking kept tugging at her in quiet ways — in the way a fresh loaf made her feel grounded… in the way people responded to her treats… in the way her mother’s recipes felt like home.

Finally, she listened.
She pivoted.
She said yes to the thing she loved most.
And not long after, she left her full-time job to do what she was always meant to do.

Today, baking is her career, her joy, her early-morning rhythm — and her connection to the mother who taught her everything.

The Signature Flavors That Built a Community

Her menu reads like a love letter to nostalgia:
✨ Her iconic banana bread that has made grown adults cry
✨ Her original sourdough, warm and deeply flavored
✨ Seasonal sweet breads that bring comfort to every table

One customer even reached out to tell her a story she’ll never forget:

“My mom used to make the BEST banana bread. No one has ever come close… until yours.”

He said it made him emotional — a small moment that meant the world to Kim.
Because that’s what real, homemade food does:
it connects us to the people we love, even the ones no longer with us.

The Heart of Whisk N’ Whimsy

Kim describes her baking style in one word:

Family.

It’s the word that guides her flavors, her mornings, and her mission.

On FOX 13, viewers could feel it in her voice.
Her words were real.
Authentic.
Filled with respect for the craft and the heritage that shaped her.

Kim doesn’t just bake bread.
She bakes memory.
She bakes comfort.
She bakes connection — the kind her mother once baked into every bite.

Find Whisk N’ Whimsy
• Directory Listing: link
• Instagram: @whisknwhimsy
(Place your order directly with Kim.)

Next, we visit the heart of Homemade By The Deans, where farm-to-loaf baking comes alive.

Chardon Dean — Homemade By The Deans (Riverdale, UT)

“Everything I make is from scratch, with intention.”

If Kim’s baking is rooted in family heritage, Chardon’s is rooted in the seasons — in the soil, the garden, the harvest, and the slow, intentional rhythm of home.

Her work reflects exactly what many families look for when they search for local bread crafted with intention.If you’re a bread lover searching for a local microbakery near you, our directory helps you discover the makers rising in your own community.

Her kitchen isn’t just where she bakes.
It’s where summer becomes winter.
Where the garden becomes bread.
Where flavors become stories.

A Seasonal Storyteller

Chardon lives with one foot in her garden and the other in her kitchen.
In the warm months, she harvests peppers, herbs, grapes, squash — whatever the season offers.

In the colder months, she opens her pantry lined with jars she filled during harvest season.

Her baking creates a beautiful cycle:

• She grows the ingredients
• She preserves them
• She bakes with them
• Her community shares in them

Few bakers capture the full circle of land-to-loaf like Chardon does.

And somewhere along this journey, baking quietly shifted into what she calls her love language.

She often says:

“Carbs are community.”

It’s a simple sentence, but it captures exactly who she is.
Her food isn’t just food — it’s an invitation.

Small Batches, Big Heart

What makes Homemade By The Deans unique isn’t just the flavors — it’s the pace.

In Chardon’s home, nothing is rushed.
Nothing is mass-produced.
Nothing is made without intention.

Her loaves are crafted slowly.
Her jams and preserves are created with purpose.
Her ingredients are chosen with care.

She bakes the way generations before her did —
with patience, intuition, and a deep respect for the land.

A Baker Connected to Her Community

Chardon’s favorite part of being a baker is the closeness it brings.

“There’s something special about watching people enjoy what I’ve made,” she says.
“And knowing it was grown, baked, and packaged just a few streets away.”

Her customers feel that.
They taste the story in every bite.
Her food isn’t just local — it’s rooted.
In home.
In land.
In heart.

Why These Stories Matter

Kim and Chardon aren’t just bakers.
They’re memory keepers.
Community shapers.

Their kitchens look different.
Their schedules look different.
Their inspirations look different.

But they share the same heart:

• to feed people
• to connect people
• to rise together
• to keep real bread alive

They are the living, breathing example of why the Micro Bakery Directory exists.

They are the soul of this movement.

Find Homemade By The Deans
• Directory Listing: link
• Instagram:@homemadebythedeans
(Place your order directly with Chardon.)

How the Micro Bakery Movement Began — Heather’s Story – Jo & Sandy’s Sourdough (West Jordan, UT)

“There had to be a better way for bakers and bread lovers to find each other.”

I bake to bring people together.
To honor my moms.
To share something meaningful.

And that’s why creating the Micro Bakery Directory became more than an idea — it became a mission.

Not for me,
but for all bakers.

Not to compete,
but to connect.

Not to stand out individually,
but to rise together.

That’s what this movement is truly about.

What the Three of Us Represent Together

Though we have different baking rhythms, backgrounds, and styles, we share something important:

• intention
• authenticity
• heart
• community
• heritage

This movement isn’t one baker.
This movement is all of us — rising side-by-side.

Together, we stand for visibility, support, and connection —
for bakers who deserve to be seen,
and for bread lovers who deserve to find them.

Messages to Other Bakers

Kim:

“Don’t be afraid!! Put yourself out there and just do it!!”

Chardon:

“Carbs are community.”

Me (Heather):

“There’s room for all of us at the table — let’s rise together.”

Final Slice

This FOX 13 story wasn’t just a highlight — it was a heartbeat.
A reminder of why this matters.
A reminder of who we’re doing this for.

This is only the beginning.

And if you’re reading this — whether you’re a baker, a future baker, or someone who simply loves warm bread on a good day —
you are part of this movement too.

If you’re a bread lover searching for a local micro or cottage bakery near you, our directory helps you discover the bakers rising in your own community.

If you’re a home baker, we’d love to welcome you to the Micro Bakery Directory — a place where your work can be seen and your community can find you. And if you’re a bread lover searching for “sourdough near me,” explore our listings to discover the bakers rising in your own neighborhood. This movement is only just beginning, and we’re so glad you’re here.

~heather