New Business Rises to the Occasion

With a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by members of the Cheyenne County Chamber of Commerce and many Lodgepole residents and well-wishers, Amy Richard and her husband Ben cut the ribbon and opened the Wildeflour Bakery at 832 Sheldon Street in Lodgepole.

Just a few short years ago Amy Richard was living in the Park City area of Utah, when she met her future husband, Ben. They had been dating for a few months when Ben told her he wanted to move back to his grandfather's farm, just north of Lodgepole. His grandfather was getting up in years and had some health issues, and needed help keeping the farm going. Without ever even visiting Nebraska, and not wanting to lose Ben, she agreed in 2017 to leave Park City and go to the unfamiliar farm landscape of eastern Cheyenne County.

She worked remotely at first, but had always had a passion for baking and decorating cakes. "I got my first mixer at 16, and it's still there over in the kitchen," she said.

Ben suggested that since she loved baking and decorating cakes so much, why not sell them?

At first she did some custom orders over the internet, and the business started to grow. In 2019, they got the opportunity to purchase the building at the corner of Highway 30 and McCall Street, and started to get to work.

"Of course, we bought the building then Covid hit, which delayed everything for a while," she said.

The first part of the renovation was to get the kitchen going, and after some time, it was fully operational and custom order side of the business continued to grow. Next it was time to renovate the front area of the building, to add in counter space and a dining area.

"In addition to a master cake-decorator, I'm also a master dry-waller now," Richard laughed.

The couple got through the hard work of renovations and now have a new, clean and inviting space that looks just like an old-time bakery shoppe from a Norman Rockwell painting.

"It was wonderful, but exhausting," she added.

Now comes the reward of the hard work, which is keeping the custom baking business flourishing while operating a full-time bakery with eat-in service and a focus on getting commuters on Highway 30 in and out with delicious breakfast treats as quickly as possible. For those making the morning trip to Chappell from Sidney, or vice-versa, the location is a perfect mid-way stop to get your morning going right.

The Wildeflour Baking Co. is, for now, open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Though focused on breakfast items, there are also lunch specials including paninis, for a mid-day treat.

Amy explained the menu, saying that every week there will be different rotating menu of pastries and baked treats, but they will always have their famous chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon rolls and coffee cake available. There will also be specials every week for patrons to enjoy.

The name "Wildeflour Bakery Co." comes from Amy Richard's maiden name, which is Wilde. Add in some flour, and you get the baking company. For a woman who had never even been to Nebraska prior to moving here, she is putting down some deep roots with the opening of the the Wildeflour Baking Company, so it makes sense to have a name that reflects the owner's roots. By the reaction to the pastries and baked treats by the crowed assembled Saturday late morning, it looks like the Wildeflour Baking Company will soon develop a loyal following of pastry connoisseurs in the Lodgepole area.

For more information on the Wildeflour Baking Company, go to their page on Facebook (Wildeflour Baking Co.) or visit their website at http://www.wildefourbackingco.com.