Summit Produce
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Dan Mitchell, Zach Clark, and Kris Clark
Kirkwood Farmers' Market
"My brother Dan is off-the-charts creative," states Kris. "He's the idea guy. Every year we add something new to the pumpkin patch." Kris Clark and her brother, Dan Mitchell, Summit Produce owners, and Kris's son Zach, welcome you to the Pumpkin Patch and the Kids Fall Fun Zone this year.
"Customers can expect the same fun experience as always, but with masks and reservations," notes Kris. "We have handwashing areas for the kids and adults to keep their hands clean while they play." Fall at Summit Produce means healthy whole foods, new and delicious packaged food products, hand-crafted chocolate candy, cute décor, huge mums, and, of course, lots of pumpkins. Kris describes the fall themes, "We have Halloween tables and 'Give Thanks' tables."
Pick up almost everything you need at the Kirkwood Farmers’ Market. "As a busy mom, it's great to be able to pop in and get everything in one place. Especially with COVID," Kris explains, "We added more staple groceries because we wanted to make it as simple as possible for people to shop outdoors." Summit Produce offers curbside pickup. Delivery is also available.
Speaking of delivery, did you know that Summit offers delivery, set up, and takedown of their famous Christmas Trees? And while we're talking about Christmas, Kris mentions, "We have a wonderfully gifted design staff on site creating custom centerpieces, swags, wreaths, mantle pieces, and flower arrangements." Colleen Lindsay, owner of Always in Bloom, leads the design team. Her team will be at Summit Produce seven days a week starting on November 21st, the Grand Opening of the Christmas Store at Summit Produce. Mark your calendars.
What's Your Favorite?
Fall pies!!! Come and get them before we run out. Freshly baked and made from scratch in Brussels Illinois. Cream and Meringue Pies too!!!
Love My Candles
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Janay Lee
Kirkwood Farmers' Market
While people were sheltering at home in March, Janay Lee was busy launching Love My Candles. “The pandemic inspired my new business idea. I was bored at home during quarantine,” said Janay. “I didn’t want to take this break and not do something productive. I wanted to find a product that I could make at home and sell. So, I created Love My Candles.”
Love My Candles are soy-based, made with pure essential oils, and 100% LOVE.
Janay enjoys pairing beautiful new scents with creative names like ‘Love Spell’ and ‘Forever Young.’ She recently created a candle that is a unique blend of a sea salt orchard mixed with Chardonnay. Her Pumpkin Pie candle continually sells out at the Farmers’ Market. Cinnamon Pumpkin and Apple Harvest are her new fall favorites. “I’ve also created a Breast Cancer Awareness candle for October,” states Janay, who’s mom passed away from Breast Cancer in 2002.
Love My Candles is truly a family business. Janay’s dad lives on the east coast and joins Janay to make candles via FaceTime. Her boyfriend and their 8-year-old son help make the candles, design the labels, and test new scents. “We are teaching our son how to work. He’s paid $8.00 because he is eight years old. He’s learning how to work, save money, and be consistent with his time.”
The new entrepreneur plans on expanding her business beyond the Farmers’ Market and her online store. “I want to do this full time. I’m learning more and more about running a business every day.”
During this uncertain time, Janay’s advice is, “find something that you really want to do and do a little bit of it every day.”
What's Your Favorite?
Candles from my Tasty Collection include Blueberry Cobbler, Lemon Pound Cake, and Pumpkin Spice. And I really love my Breast Cancer Awareness candle, made in memory of my mom.
Honey Bee's Biscuit + Gravy
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Mike and Meredith Shadwick
Kirkwood Farmers' Market
Here's the buzz about Mike and Meredith Shadwick's Honey Bee's Biscuit + Gravy. Mike grew up loving to cook, but he thought wearing a suit to work every day was the best career path. His days were spent at the office, but at night he studied cooking videos on YouTube. In February of 2020, Meredith encouraged Mike to pursue his passion.
On March 1, Mike discovered his dream job working in the kitchen at Winslow's Table. Sixteen days later, the restaurant closed due to COVID-19. Mike was devastated but determined to continue to cook at home. "One day, I made sausage and gravy," said Mike. "Merideth made the biscuits. It came out great. So, we made some for our family and friends. They went crazy over it."
Mike used his business skills to launch their new company. Meredith developed the logo and branding around the idea of 'be who you are.' The couple also met four years ago on the dating site, Bumble – whose symbol is a bee. Their standard biscuit is the honey glaze.
Chef Mike creates the sauces, and Meredith makes the biscuits. "It's fun working together. We have different skill sets that complement each other," said Meredith. Mike spends his days in the kitchen, working on R & D (research and development).
June 6 was their first day in business at the Farmers' Market. They made six pans and sold out. The couple is gearing up to go mobile. "We've got a food trailer to bring to corporate offices, events, and late-night parties," stated Mike. "We are excited to grow. This year I finally took the plunge and discovered who I really want to bee."
What's Your Favorite?
Our s’mores inspired biscuit + gravy is a Honey Bee’s cinnamon biscuit, marshmallow cold cream, chocolate gravy, topped with graham cracker crumble.
Pioneer Bakery Cafe
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Chef Saul Juarez
210 N Kirkwood Rd Kirkwood
Veteran Pastry Chef Saul Juarez is leading the team at Pioneer Bakery Café. The owner, Scott Rinaberger, said he knew Kirkwood was the right community to launch new restaurant. "That's why we named it Pioneer Bakery Café. Our mission is forward-thinking as we embrace this new frontier, but we are definitely tying into Kirkwood's community power."
Scott and his wife Sheila, owners of McArthur's Bakery, have partnered with Layfette Industries, a packaging company that provides employment opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities, to launch Pioneer Bakery Café.
Scott's vision for Pioneer Bakery Cafe, located in the former McArthur's Bakery space on Kirkwood Road, developed over the past year.
"We wanted to do something with this big, beautiful, fully furnished bakery," said Scott. "But it needed to have its own identity sperate from McArthur's."
Scott began talking with Layfette Industries about creating a fully functional bakery as a training facility for adults with intellectual disabilities. Pioneer Bakery Cafe's comprehensive training program focuses on training the whole person. "We'll train technical skill sets that will allow for future employment elsewhere. But we'll also teach personal soft skill development, including social interaction and critical thinking."
Chef Saul Juarez’s baking and teaching passions provide Pioneer Bakery Café with the leadership, vision, and experience to fulfill their mission. "His pastry creations are incredible," commented Scott. "He’s a compassionate, humble person who cares as much about others as his pastries."
The boutique bakery offers Artisian sandwiches and full-service breakfast, as well as brunch on the weekends. Scott says, "We'll offer a few of the McAuthor's classics such as traditional cakes, party cakes, gooey butter cakes. We can't wait to bring life back into this building.”
What's Your Favorite?
We’re excited to bring you new Pioneer Bakery Cafe favorites including delectable pastries, savory quiches and a wide range of artisan breads for mouthwatering breakfast and lunch sandwiches.
