We’re two!
On Saturday December 7th, Tucker and Co Bakery and Cafe celebrated its 2nd birthday as a brick and mortar on Baltimore Street in Dillsburg! While our sit-down, hang-out, dine-in, cafe may only be two years old, our bakery story is actually much longer! Travel back in time with us as we take a stroll down memory lane to remember everything that has led us to this moment!
2012: founded bakery:
Did you know our original name was Sunshine Bakery? And most items weren’t gluten free!! Heidi baked her signature scones and cookies (among other treats) and brought them to outdoor farmers markets and events with a table and tent. Our OG fans will remember her fabric triangle bunting garland!
2017: everything became GF
After grappling with her own health journey, using food as a healing agent, Heidi chose to put everything she’d learned about nutrition into her business. It wasn’t easy but by changing everything to be gluten free, Heidi knew she was serving treats that were delicious without being a contributor to inflammation in our bodies. She also discovered that she could create treats with ingredients that can actually benefit our bodies and still taste great!
2018: everything became RSF
One dietary lifestyle Heidi used during her healing journey was the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or SCD for short. The diet, while eliminating gluten, lactose, and processed foods, also specifically excluded refined sugar. Heidi learned about how refined sugar, such as white cane sugar, can be a secret contributor to inflammation, especially when your body is in an already inflamed state, and how, when consumed at a rate normal to the typical American diet, can actually feed the unfriendly gut bacteria causing gut disruption. Heidi discovered just how many spots refined sugar “hides”- like Ketchup, Bacon, even in chips like Dorritos! She made the decision to sweeten her baked goods only with naturally occurring sugars- like coconut sugar, honey, and maple syrup. These unrefined sugars are recognized and digested differently in the body than cane sugar- and can actually have some health benefits! Heidi learned that as she began to pay attention to the ingredients in the food she was eating and the way her body was feeling, there was a direct correlation between food and symptoms. Through her experiences, Heidi has hand selected her ingredients to be as minimally processed, whole-food based, and health-sustaining as possible because it took years of undoing from her old style of eating (which was from the outsider’s perspective still quite healthy) for her to experience true health. She does not want to be a contributor to anyone’s health struggles and wants to offer a haven for others who have limited diets. While her current style of baking is almost exclusively dairy-free and 100% gluten and refined sugar free; it is also of note that she does not use any fillers, gums, or ingredients you can’t pronounce. The value of every item you’ll find on the menu is that it is simple, wholesome, nourishing nutrition, that will give your body what it needs to thrive.
2018: Pop-up Trailer is born!
Our first roof (on wheels), the pop-up shop, known for its signature scalloped wood panneling was built by Isaac and fed many locals at the Dillsburg Farmers’ Market and other community events. We began serving up real-fruit smoothies, and coffee alongside our rotating baked goods.
2020: Tucker and Co Granola is Launched!
One staple of Heidi’s new lifestyle was making her own granola- free of cane sugar and other additives… the granola was a great and convenient option for breakfast or anytime throughout the day when she needed some fuel. Unlike most granola on the market, Tucker & Co’s is packed with hearty nuts, dried fruit, seeds, and sweetened only with honey and a bit of date syrup. It’s filled with protein and will provide your body with lasting energy. It can be tough to find ready-made convenient health-sustaining snacks, so Heidi wanted to share her’s with others! Today you can buy our granola in the cafe or online!
December 2022: Bakery Cafe Opens its Doors in Dillsburg!
After two years of behind-the-scenes renovating, planning, menu-testing, vintage dishware collecting, table and counter building, mural painting, and much much more, the bakery officially opened its doors! Featuring a menu of hot, made-to order breakfast and lunch foods (like the waffle and bacon or chicken salad sandwich) the cafe is a spot to come and stay awhile. The cafe serves up rotating house-made signature drink syrups for your favorite seasonal lattes or matchas as well as seasonal menu items like the panini- crafted with fresh local in-season ingredients!
Summer 2024: Food Truck joins the fleet!
While we have covered quite a bit of ground- we of course look to the future with the mantra that we are only just getting started! Envisioning our next steps excites and motivates us to keep going even on the toughest days or amidst the latest nights. We are so honored to continue to offer a spot where our community can gather and be filled with nourishing treats and meals. Our cafe has been a harbor for artists, college students, side-hustlers, reunions, baby showers, concerts, and more. It’s a spot where you can come on a good day, a bad day, and all those in between. It’s a place to pick up a last-minute gift from our wall of local goods or to try some other local vendors’ goodies. Thank you to each of you that have made Tucker and Co Bakery part of your lives- whether it’s a weekly routine, your go-to meet-up spot or simply the coffeeshop you choose to pass through on an annual visit home. Each day brings us closer to our next dreams! You are the reason we do what we do, and the reason we can.
