In a world that cannot seem to slow down, where convenience often replaces care and speed outpaces intention, Emily and Patrick Hicks are choosing a different rhythm; one rooted in craftsmanship, nourishment, and community investment. This Canton couple embodies what it means to live with passion and to extend it outward in a way that meaningfully serves others, in this case, an entire community.
For Emily, what began as a creative outlet after stepping away from her career in higher education to stay home with her two boys, Oliver and Wes, gradually unfolded into something far more significant. Life at home created the margin to explore her love for food. In that quieter season, she found herself not simply baking bread, but embracing the art of homemaking in its fullest expression.
“I will never forget baking bread for the first time,” Emily shared. Raised by an Italian mother who instilled both a heart for cooking and a deep sense of warmth around the table, Emily connects thoughtfully curated meals to some of the most formative moments of her childhood. When bread entered the picture, something awakened internally.
“My creativity just started flowing,” she said. “People kept encouraging me, saying I could and should sell this bread. The Lord woke me up out of a dream and said, ‘You need to reach out to Carol and Katy to sell bread at the shop.’”
At the time, the women owned a boutique, and the opportunity would become Emily’s very first pop up. Unsure of what to expect, she prepared multiple loaves of her rustic homemade bread. Meanwhile, Patrick, drawing on his innate gifts, worked late into the night crafting beautiful wooden crates to hold her first offerings.
“I sold out that day,” Emily said. “And the rest was truly history.”
Today, Emily carries forward the same spirit of nourishment she received growing up, now expressed through her business, ‘Harvest Artisan Bread + Home Goods.’ After years spent refining her craft, she has thoughtfully created a menu centered on wholesome, handcrafted bread, providing fresh goods to local individuals and families out of her stunning backyard ‘Harvest Retail Cottage’ that Patrick custom built.
Recently, the venture has deepened through partnership with her husband.
To unite their individual callings, Emily envisioned incorporating Patrick’s custom woodworking alongside her bread shop. Patrick is the owner of Harvest Home Restorations, a business blending custom woodworking, home goods, landscape design, and home restoration.
“I have always had a fascination with building,” Patrick said. “It has been an artistic and creative outlet for me. I love caring for homes because I recognize how meaningful they are. I am committed to people having a positive experience in the spaces where they live.”
From handcrafted serving pieces and custom cutting boards to the wooden crates that display Emily’s bread, their work now intersects in a way that feels seamless.
“Neither of us can shake the feeling that we are being called to operate at our highest capacity through our passions,” Emily added.
Together, the Hicks are devoted to restoring what they describe as the lost art of slowing down, savoring, gathering, and living well. Whether through the food people eat, the homes they cultivate, or the relationships they nurture, the couple is committed to creating environments where peace can be felt and experienced.
Each Friday, the bake shop hosts Free Nourishment Friday, an initiative where Emily prepares loaves of bread for community members to pick up at no cost, with the encouragement to pass along kindness to someone in need. It is a simple yet powerful extension of their mission, to walk alongside people locally and bring beauty into lives that may need it most.
For Emily and Patrick, investment extends beyond business. It is woven into their home life and the legacy they hope to leave their sons.
“I want our boys to see that anything worthwhile, anything of true value, requires courage, perseverance, and resilience,” Patrick shared. “I want them to be men of honor who understand that the most meaningful things in life demand a long road of commitment.”
The Hicks family is modeling a life poured out with intention, rooted in purpose, and richly invested in the community they call home.
To stay connected and for additional information follow The Hick's on Instagram (harvestartisanbread_homehoods) and Facebook Harvest Home Restorations & Design.
“Neither of us can shake the feeling that we are being called to operate at our highest capacity through our passions."