Today we’d like to introduce you to Caelee Carpenter.
Hi Caelee, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m Caelee 27, born and raised in Colorado Springs Colorado, I’m a 4th generation Mae, proudly carrying on the legacy of the strong women before me. My bakery’s name honors that lineage from my Mimi, who owned a chocolate shop in Colorado and has been baking my entire life, to my mom, who made stunning birthday cakes for me and everyone she knew. On my dad’s side, my grandmother taught me to lead with joy and light, no matter how the world responds a lesson that’s shaped both me and my business.
I started dabbling in sourdough after some personal and family health struggles led me to dig into gut health. What I found? Sourdough kept coming up as one of the most healing foods long before it became the craze it is today.
I named my starter Albus short for Albus Dumble-Dough for all my fellow Harry Potter nerds out there and started baking in January of 2023. I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to bake bread all the time and make EVERYTHING SOURDOUGH! That’s where my phrase “everything sourdough” comes from . The more I baked, the more I fell in love with the process and even more than that, with how it made people feel. There’s something really special about watching someone take a bite of real sourdough and light up it’s comforting, nourishing, and nostalgic all at once. That feeling hooked me, and I haven’t looked back since.
My Mimi is still the first person I call when something goes wrong in the kitchen or right. She helps me work through flavor ideas and recipes and is always ready to taste test with honest, thoughtful feedback.
This business is truly a family effort. My papa, the founder of Verti-Gro, still grows nearly 90% of the herbs and produce I use in my breads at 86 years old! My dad and boyfriend, help me haul and tear down my market booth, and anre always there if I need someone to calm me down or just stand with me , and my dad always making sure I’m good no matter what! My auntie helps pass out samples and keeps me sane (and fed) during those marathon 15–20 hour days. My mama in Colorado pushes me every day to keep growing and not to settle for anything less than the dream. And opening a real bakery? That’s the dream I’m chasing.
Where am i now? Right where I think I need to be at this time!
You can find me at all the Girls Night Out events in Ocala they happen once a month on Saturdays and are always such a fun community vibe. I also take part in the Ocala Downtown Market during their special Sunday holiday markets throughout the year.
Starting September 7, I’ll be a weekly vendor every Sunday at Homestead Park in Williston, Florida, which I’m super excited about. And beyond that, I’m always exploring new markets and events I love popping up in new places and meeting new faces. The best way to keep up with where I’ll be next is by following along on my social media!
I also teach sourdough and advanced sourdough classes as well as 1 on 1 classes at AR workshop in Ocala FL 2-3 times a month
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not at all but every bump has been worth it. A lot of people don’t realize just how much effort it takes to make a single loaf of real sourdough. From start to finish, it takes about three days to properly ferment, shape, proof, and bake a loaf not including all the prep and care along the way. Some days I’m working 15 to 20 hours straight. But I’d never trade it for a corporate job again. This work is real. It’s alive. And it feeds people in more ways than one.
One of the biggest challenges has been sourcing the kind of ingredients I believe in. From the very beginning, I made the choice to go dye-free, organic whenever possible, and to support local growers. That means I’m constantly hunting down ingredients that are clean, high quality, and affordable not just for me, but so I can offer my customers fair prices too.
Another struggle is education. A lot of grocery store “sourdough” is made with commercial yeast, sugar, and oils things that don’t belong in traditional sourdough. My bread is made with just flour, water, and salt the way it’s meant to be. It’s hard sometimes explaining why it looks, feels, and tastes different… but that’s also what makes it special.
And that mindset going back to real ingredients and traditional processes is exactly why my next mission is bringing marshmallows back to their roots. Literally. My Miss Mae’s Marshmallows are made with real marshmallow root and gut-friendly ingredients no corn syrup, dyes, or artificial junk. Just like with my sourdough, it’s about honoring the old ways and making something beautiful and nourishing again. That tastes good! Not too mention all the fun flavors!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I bake real, fermented sourdough and I have a whole lot of fun doing it. I’m known for my wide range of creative flavors (we’re talking 11+ core loaves plus rotating seasonal specials), but my Garlic Rosemary Parmesan? That one flies off the table faster than anything else even more than my Plain Jane. And don’t even get me started on the cookies. They’re naturally fermented for 72 hours, which gives them crazy depth of flavor and helps reduce sugar and gluten making them easier to digest and more gut-friendly. So yes, we call them healthy cookies around here (because they are… right?).
One of my newest obsessions is Miss Mae’s Marshmallows gut-healthy, old-world-inspired marshmallows made with marshmallow root and zero junk. Just like my sourdough, they’re made with intention, clean ingredients, and creativity.
What I’m most proud of? That I get to teach this passion to others. I’ve taken something that started as personal healing and turned it into a community movement. I now teach sourdough classes and help others discover the power of real bread. I’ve also been lucky to find the most amazing support system from market regulars and fellow vendors to my family and friends who lift me up.
What sets me apart is the heart behind it all. Every product is made with long fermentation, real ingredients, no shortcuts, and a deep love for what I do. My goal? To make bread and treats that feel like comfort, nourish your gut, and bring people together one loaf, cookie, or marshmallow at a time
What makes you happy?
The kitchen, always. There’s something magical about pulling a loaf out of the oven golden, blistered, and warm and knowing I created that with just my hands, time, and love. It never gets old, and it always brings me peace.
But happiness isn’t just in the baking. It’s in slow moments curled up on the couch with my boyfriend and our two pups, Bear and Gidget. It’s in good food, sharing bites, and dreaming up new flavors. It’s in being with my family and friends, feeding people I love, and knowing something I made brought someone joy.
And honestly? It’s the little things the sun on my skin, the grass between my toes, deep breaths with the earth beneath me. That’s what grounds me in the middle of this chaotic world.
I’m a flower child at heart. I just want to be happy, share that happiness, and bake the world a better place. And that’s exactly what I’m doing one loaf, one cookie, one marshmallow at a time.
Pricing:
- $6 – $16
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/miss-maes-sweets-and-sourdough
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missmaessweetsandsourdough?igsh=MTFoaGp6MTdqZWM3Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ZpGaT8GH9/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://linktr.ee/missmaes444
Image Credits
Erin Webber
https://www.instagram.com/rusticcharmportraits352?igsh=MXZkcm5vMndsdDRrbQ==
https://www.instagram.com/alluringblushboudoir?igsh=MTF3bnd1YTQ4ejA3MA==
