Rustic Rise didn't start as a business plan. It started in a hard season.

In February 2024, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. That year brought three surgeries, in March, July, and November, along with countless appointments and a long road to recovery. When you're healing, a lot of life gets put on hold, and I found myself needing something to do with my hands and something to care for that was just mine.

So in December 2024, I made a sourdough starter.

It was just flour and water in a glass jar on my counter. But every day it asked something small of me: feed it, watch it, be patient. Slowly it came alive, bubbling and rising, and somewhere along the way I was coming back to life too. It took a couple of months of practice, but in February 2025, almost exactly a year after my diagnosis, I pulled my first real loaf out of the oven. It wasn't perfect, but it was mine, and it felt like proof that good things can still grow out of a hard time.

I kept baking. I learned what the dough was telling me, tried new flavors, and started sharing loaves with family and friends. My kids became my taste testers. Bagels came next, then cinnamon buns, and people kept asking when they could buy some.

That's when my boyfriend, a friend of more than 25 years, stepped in. He believed in this before I fully did. He pushed me to stop dreaming about it and start doing it, and he opened up his home and his kitchen so Rustic Rise could have a real place to grow. That's where I bake today. I'm fully licensed as a Pennsylvania home food establishment, and that same starter from my recovery is still in every loaf I bake.

To me, Rustic Rise means more than bread. It's a reminder that slow, steady care makes things rise, whether it's dough or a person rebuilding after a tough chapter. It's also a reminder that dreams rise faster when someone believes in you. When you take home one of my loaves, you're getting a little piece of that story.

Thank you for supporting a small, local, family-run bakery. I'm so glad you're here.

— Christina