Angela Stone is a charismatic mother of two and works at Blessed Little Kitchen, a small bakery owned by Mary Holzkopf.

“I am assistant manager to the bakery, so whenever Mary has to go out, I would control the bakery; anything in front, anything in back. I would be her second baker,” Stone said.

Stone has been baking for many years, dating all the way back to when she was still in elementary school. Her love for baking has always been apparent to those who know her; however, there is always more to learn.

“[I’ve learned] so much. One of the main things is liquid goes in a [glass measuring cup], and then the [dry measuring spoons] are for solids. I actually didn’t know that before I started working with Mary,” Stone said.

The real magic comes from the entire staff, not just the baked goods. None of this would be possible without the talent each one of them possesses.

“It seems like we’re already getting so many bakers and cake decorators and different people who do different things in the bakery. There [are] so many specialties,” Stone said.

Since the start of the pandemic, many eat-in establishments have been hit hard. The many unforeseen challenges have forced Stone to adapt.

“For two weeks nobody was in the bakery. Then [Mary] had a huge cleaning of the bakery and she just came back by herself, and then she let me come in,” Stone said. “Some days there would be a line of cars and I would just be outside with a whole rack of goodies. It was really nuts.” 

The bakery has now changed to carry-out only. Despite all of these challenges, Stone feels that the pandemic has made her stronger. She can easily see herself working at the bakery for years to come.

“Mary always jokes that I have a 105-year contract. The atmosphere is really fun and it feels like every day is a great and fun day,” Stone said.

At the end of the day, Holzkopf and Stone give away all of the food and desserts leftover to food pantries, churches, and homeless shelters not just in our community, but in others as well.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a baker,” Stone said. “I feel good bringing home my own paycheck by doing something that is so community-driven and helping one of my best friends succeed in her life and her dream. I think that a lot of people would love to work [at Blessed Little Kitchen]. It’s also yummy!”