The best way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach, and Sourdoughs of Somerset has officially won all of Brentwood’s heart.
Despite only living in Brentwood for five years, Michaella and Ryder Zetts have invested in the community by baking and breaking bread with their neighbors. Between an industrial kitchen add-on, a Facebook group, and an open-door policy, you feel as though you're a part of their community best known as Breadwood.
However, when they first moved here in 2019 they never could have anticipated where sourdough would bring them to today.
The Zetts originally had moved here when Ryder was an executive chef at the Optimist, located in Germantown, where they had needed 12 loaves a day. After playing around with the idea of Michaella baking the loaves, they ultimately decided on another baker.
“That night when he went with a different baker I typed up Sourdoughs of Somerset as a group on Facebook and sent it to three girls I had just met because I had just moved here and they were in the neighborhood and they then sent it to some people,” Michaella explains. “I woke up to three loaves of bread and then ten, and I remember had 20 breads one time and I was like ‘Oh this is getting busy.’”
From then, Breadwood was born and before she knew it, Michaella was baking 400 to 500 loaves of sourdough a week. Between a kitchen remodel and word of mouth, both the business and the group of loyal customers grew.
It’s more than just buying loaves of sourdough from a local business, it’s a full-blown, supportive community.
“I hate social media, “Michaella explains. “It’s fake, it’s taking us all away from our priorities at times, but Ryder made a pretty good point a couple of years back. We have a real community on a social media page. It’s real people that pick up and know us and know each other. It’s crazy how often people are picking up and realize they all know each other. I’d have clients pick up and just unleash their day, cry, tell me about their husband or struggles and we’d go into the kitchen and drink wine together. I mean, the give back from this random page I started on social media has morphed into this heart of what is now Breadwood in Brentwood.”
Until they find a permanent storefront, whenever Michaella posts pick-up times and locations on the Facebook group, Breadwood will show up.
Ryder loves the community that Breadwood has become. “It’s not just a transaction with a cashier, it’s a real human-to-human interaction,” Ryder says.
Ryder crafts wonderful catering kitchen table offerings – best known as KTO – as dinner kits that are quite popular within the Breadwood community.
“We know that staying in our lanes at work is successful but coming together to see all the community that pick up, we try to be there together for that!” Michaella explains.
The Zetts family is one made up of culinary connoisseurs, which started when Michaella and Ryder first met in culinary school in Hyde Park. Not only that but both Michaella and Ryder have worked at several one and three-Michelin-star restaurants throughout their combined 60 years of culinary experience.
By Michaella and Ryder investing so much time and energy into crafting mouth-watering food, they have managed to change so many people from strangers to friends, and bring the community closer.
“This has been our vision since before we moved here,” Michaella says. “This idea of bringing back the family. We both came from divorced families and we are inspired to help people enjoy their kids, their spouses, and their neighbors with ease!”
The community also runs deep on the business side as well. The Zetts also collaborate with Andrea Hammond of Dawson’s Delights and Amy Jill Young of Jilly’s Ice Cookies and More – whose jam and cookies can be found alongside the sourdough at any pickup location.
“Both these women are very important to me because they show up,” Michaella says. “They work with me and help me look good.”
Both Sourdoughs of Somerset and Dawson’s Delights won blue ribbons at the Williamson County Fair.
Breadwood is getting bigger by the day and to keep up with demand, they intend to move it to a storefront by the end of the year. The Zetts will keep the storefront in Brentwood and the only thing that will change about their current pick-up process is the location.
“You’re not supposed to fix something that isn’t broke,” Michaella jokes.
Michaella also is going to start offering sourdough lessons with a four-course tasting session for those interested in learning the process. These lessons will include Michaella showing people the baking process while Ryder prepares dishes.
While Breadwood eagerly waits for their highly anticipated storefront, orders can be placed through their Facebook group - “Sourdoughs of Somerset” - where customers can not only find lovely loaves, but a community.
