Bakefully Yours, a health-conscious bakery founded by Sarah Seligman, joins the Territory chef network as our first ever baking partner. Sarah launched Bakefully Yours in 2012, after becoming a paleo eater and finding a serious lack of tasty, allergen-free dessert options in the DC area. Sarah has been a pioneer in the paleo baking industry, creating craveable desserts without gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugars or anything artificial so that everyone, regardless of eating restrictions can enjoy a delicious baked treat.
We sat down with Sarah to learn more about how she got started in the baking business and the future she envisions for paleo, gluten-free and plant-based desserts!
Definitely a meandering path! I have been baking since I was 10. Wanted to go to culinary school to be a pastry chef, but did not want to have my own business. But according to my parents, I needed a “real” degree. And so I graduated with a Criminology and Intelligence Analysis degree from George Mason University. Joke is on my parents, because I ended up baking anyways! But still grateful that I have a degree to fall back on.
I was working in the retail section of the butcher shop. And I wanted to try my hand at all aspects of the business. And the owners were open to helping me learn and work in all areas. And I loved the small business hustle and drive! And that’s when I knew I could start an allergy-friendly bakery. The owners and co-workers definitely gave me the confidence to start the business. And they were very helpful and full of advice!
I had to laugh at that question, because it has been a long road to perfect it! Lots and lots of trial and error. Definitely. I started eating paleo in 2012. And I wanted to eat the desserts I made. But I wanted them to taste good enough, so that I didn’t miss the gluten-filled treats. And I realized there was a lack of homemade, allergy-friendly treats that I could purchase at grocery stores and coffee shops in the Washington, D.C. area. That is why I started Bakefully Yours as a wholesale bakery.
Good question! The worst thing I’ve made was paleo pancakes from a random website. It tasted like dirt! And they were hard as bricks! And that’s when I knew I needed to start creating my own recipes, or at least tweaking online recipes to my liking. My favorite thing I’ve made has to be a carrot cake recipe that was passed down to me from a dear family friend. Absolutely delicious!
Yes, it is very exciting! We would love to get our products into Whole Foods and other national retailers. We are getting ready to launch our new packaging, and can’t wait to share with you all!
I actually received my real estate license this year in January. And I am a Realtor for National Realty. Because of the flexibility of both jobs, I get to have two careers that I love!
We do have plans for more treats! Unfortunately, we can’t disclose anything yet. But it will be launching early next year!
It gives us the opportunity for more people to try our products. And as the first baker partnership on the East Coast, we are excited to see how we can grow alongside Territory!
Many thanks to Sarah Seligman, our first paleo dessert maker. Customers can order Bakefully Yours through Territory here.