Meet Jessica & Jake | Owner/Baker & Operations Manager/Baker’s Apprentice

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica & Jake and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica & Jake, what’s something about your industry that outsiders are probably unaware of?
As bakers, what fascinates us is how most here in America think bread is bad for your health. We can’t argue with that completely though because, the truth of the matter is, bread bought from the grocery store, engineered with bleached, refined flour and loaded with chemical preservatives and sugars, is in fact making them sick! But the organic, unrefined, whole grain, preferably naturally leavened (fermented) bread found in your local bakery — made with grains grown and stone-milled right here in Colorado — is in fact a treasure of prebiotics, fiber, protein, and micronutrients. So, the question outsiders should be asking themselves: if the “bread” from the grocery store is making them sick, then how were historic breads such effective dietary cornerstones for vast, ancient civilizations? — what has changed?

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Our story isn’t about us, our accomplishments, our brand, our Instagram posts, or our sales records. No, none of these things. Our story is about our dedication to providing our community the option to choose their food more responsibly, while willingly educating all curious to learn why where your food comes from, and what ingredients it’s made with, matters so damn much. And though this path is long and arduous, seemingly endlessly so, this is the responsibility of a community baker and her bakery — and it always has been.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Before they visit we’d ask them to please pack their lightest camping equipment, thermal layers, and rain gear — our itinerary would bring us up into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains for the better part of the week (but they’d need two weeks for the trip, so they could acclimate first of course). We’d drink from mountain springs, graze on currants, and summit multiple 14er’s while eating biscuits made with local San Luis Valley wheat from Cactus Hill Farm, returning to our western facing campsite each night to watch the sunset and prepare for bed under the alpenglow. That’s the sort of adventure we’d want to bring our best friend on, and what better way to experience our home? Oh, but before they’d depart, we’d need to bring them to the Colorado Farm Brewery to grab a few rounds of locally-grown beer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our local stone mill, Mountain Mama Milling, is one of the reasons we started Tumbleweed Bread in the first place. Having access to freshly-milled, local flour is a luxury; there’s only a handful of stone mills in the U.S. (but that number is growing). From my past years working as a baker in Portland, Oregon, I knew the rarity and importance of having a regional stone mill that produces quality flour. Good flour makes good bread! – Jessica

Deploying the tent, slinging the bread in all types of weather, and tossing everything back into the car at the end of the farmer’s market day takes an extraordinary amount of work, and, until people impulsively shop for food grown or produced with local ingredients within their own communities, it’s also gamble. So what keeps me coming back? The repeated story of gawkers drooling over loaves of whole grain sourdough and apologizing for taking up space under the tent because “they can’t eat bread.” But after determining they’re not actually allergic to bread, and after some mild coaxing, they buy the bread anyways, returning a week later in tears because they can “finally eat bread again.” Not all bread is equal. – Jake

Website: www.tumbleweedbread.com

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