VEGAN GOODS

vegan goods | ESHER BAKERY

A sweet life: LOCAL WOMAN RELIES ON FAITH TO SOW SEEDS FOR VEGAN BAKER

BY KATHLEEN DUFF

A misspelled word and some divine intervention laid the foundation for a new type of bakery in Greeley.

Jessica West, 35, said her journey toward creating her Esher Bakery began when she realized that she had been misspelling the word “coffee’’ for most of her life. She had been responsible for coordinating a coffee event Fridays at her former workplace. One day, she received an email from a co-worker asking a question about the coffee, and the word jumped out at her. Had she really been misspelling that word all along?

Soon, thereafter, she had what she calls a God Dream that initially focused on her providing locally roasted coffee. As part of her Christian faith, she began a dream board to honor the message and put it into action. With more thought and inspiration, her plan evolved to creating a plan for her own bakery.

It wasn’t going to be just a run-of-the-flour mill enterprise — it would be a vegan bakery. And it had to be in Greeley, where, she said her heart lies.

West remembers thinking, “Lord, this seems impossible.” “And the answer I got, was, ‘Exactly.’ That’s why it’s so important for me to do this.”

Vegan baking means using no eggs and no dairy products — no butter, milk or cream, While West does use sugar, she often uses less than called for in traditional baking.

She started her business three years ago baking from her home via the Colorado Cottage Foods Act, which allows limited types of food products that are non-potentially hazardous (do not require refrigeration for safety) to be sold without licensing or inspection, according to www.colorado.gov. West also is working toward her real estate license and works for C3 Real Estate Solutions in Fort Collins.

Angannette Smith of Greeley can attest to West’s baking skills. She found out about Esher via Facebook and ordered a cake and cupcakes for her daughter’s first birthday.

“I saw some of her photos and reached out. She’s creative and had some good ideas and helped set up a cupcake display,” Smith said. “She was fun to work with and really sweet.”

Currently, West is testing recipes out of her home kitchen, making adjustments as needed to create

Jessica West of Esher Bakery

OPPOSITE, Left to right: Vegan German chocolate cake, cinnamon rolls and carrot cake created by Jessica West at Esher Bakery.

the best treats possible. And she has met with small-business groups to hone her business acumen.

She believes she has the flavors down, but she is working hard to ensure the texture of each baked good is just right.

“Cinnamon rolls — that’s going to be my specialty,” she said. West said her love of baking began as a child with her mother; she remembers sitting on the kitchen counter with a huge bowl of oatmeal raisin cookie dough.

For the short term, she is planning on creating some pop-up events in Greeley to further introduce her cinnamon rolls, cakes and cookies to the public. But, like many young entrepreneurs, she wants to do more than focus on profits.

While the COVI-19 pandemic might cause a delay, her God Dream includes creating a place where the community can gather. Perhaps the location will have a place for kids or invite different speakers; maybe there will be a book exchange.

ESHER BAKERY Reach Esher Bakery via Facebook at www.facebook.com/ esherbakery or call Jessica West at (970) 324-0155.

West admittedly becomes emotional when talking about her plan and what prompted it. Esher is a Hebrew word for blessedness and happiness. She hopes to find other likeminded entrepreneurs to join in her vision of a community plan.

She added, “My baked good are an avenue where I can love my community and bring the community together. I am doing this for the love of people ... and an outpouring of God’s love.”

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