The two great joys of my life have been travel and food—both of which lead me to open a destination bakery on Cape Cod. My friend Rochelle Kelvin recently opened Gardiner Bakehouse in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley—a haven for foodies. Since Rochelle opened her doors last October, an in-person visit has been high on my priority list. She is a passionate bread maker and natural entrepreneur. Her Bakehouse is something special to behold, blending two essential ingredients for success: a sense of community and the smell of bread.

Amie Smith, owner of AMIE® Bakery, is a pastry chef and writer—and creator and host of her own series on YouTube designed to educate and inspire you in the kitchen. Her mission to educate, share, and connect with the community has lead her to write a book on her mid-life career change and journey to open the bakery. Through the YouTube series you’ll learn her favorite recipes sprinkled with entrepreneurial stories and personal anecdotes.

On December 14, we celebrated our 10th anniversary at AMIE Bakery. We’ve come a long way since we opened our doors during the 2014 Christmas Stroll. The journey, which began with an unexpected mid-life career change in 2008, has been nothing short of a wild rollercoaster ride of the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.