Dutch Heritage Baking & Catering

Who is Dutch Heritage Baking & Catering? We are two sisters who had a dream, who love to bake and cook, love to meet new people and love to please. Dutch Heritage is what resulted from those ambitions. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Naomi and Ruth were born in Paraguay, SA, the two youngest daughters of parents who had recently left the Old Order Amish way of life. After the passing of their father in 1978, they returned to the US in 1986. Without a father in the home, times were difficult and both girls found themselves working outside of the home to help support the family. Both found themselves employed by a local restaurant, where they worked before and after school, working their way up to both becoming a manager. Naomi and Ruth both loved to cook and learn the little things that their customers liked, all the while learning what worked (and what didn’t) in the food industry. When they each got married and began families, it was obvious that the rigors of restaurant life were not meant for them anymore. In 2002, their dream of starting a small bakery & catering service was realized with the addition of a garage and a small commercial kitchen. Combining the time-tested recipes handed down from their Amish ancestors with the knowledge gained in their restaurant ventures (along with a healthy dose of trial-and-error), they began churning out food and baked goods that had their customers saying. “WOW!!” In 2004, another garage was added and the existing garage was converted into a storefront and storage space. This allowed their customers much easier access to the bakery and gave some much needed storage space. As word spread about Dutch Heritage, business began to grow and once again, more space was needed. In 2011, the kitchen itself was expanded and the storefront given a face-lift. The extra kitchen space, along with several commercial ovens and a commercial dishwasher, have made large bakery orders and catering events much more efficient. The first year that Dutch Heritage was in business, they whipped up 2,032 of their famous pies from their small kitchen. In 2008, their record reached a staggering 4,200 pies, along with all the other wonderful baked goods and delicious meals! From April, 2002, to April, 2011, Dutch Heritage has produced 33,043 pies! Naomi and her husband, Matt, have 3 children: Julie, 6, Jaime, 4 and Jordan, 1. They live in Saint Joe, where Naomi loves to spend any spare time she has with her family, reading, relaxing or working in the backyard with her many flower beds and garden. She also enjoys scrap-booking with Ruth when business slows down in January. Ruth and her husband, Dave, live at the residence connected to the bakery with their 5 children: Tiffany, 13, Twila, 10, Shawn, 9, Tiana, 4 and Sawyer, 1. Ruth enjoys scrap-booking, camping with her family and entertaining and spending time with friends.