Conversations with Olga Winfrey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Olga Winfrey.  

Olga, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I came to America from Kyiv, Ukraine, 16 years ago. I was homesick and missed not only friends and family but real European food and especially freshly baked bread (Europeans will understand). And here my journey as a baker had been started… Now, the cottage bakery Journey2Bakery is providing freshly baked bread and sweet goods to the local community in Central Florida. All bread recipes are unique and original, inspired by world cuisines. Furthermore, our bread is made with no yeast by using an ancient slow fermentation method with starter/leaven/sourdough/sponge – it is all common names of wild yeast. It is the most natural and traditional method for leavening baked goods, and it takes from 8 to 24 hours to produce one loaf of bread with a more complex taste than regular bread made with commercial yeast. From the beginning of 2015, we started to use unbleached organic bread and whole-wheat flour to provide you with the best and healthier product. Even for sweet goods, we are using only unbleached all-purpose flour. You can find us and our product at Deland Artisan Alley Farmers Market in Deland, Florida, every Friday night from 6-9 pm. Warning: this Market is very popular, make sure to visit it earlier. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The hardest part was finding like-minded customers who appreciate the quality of the food. But now, the most complicated task is to find a good ingredient for a reasonable price. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
By educational degree, I have MA in language Art: I was a speech therapist in Ukraine and a language assistant professor at University in the US. Helping people is my talent, I guess, that now transformed into my baking passion. 

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I would love to start a sourdough bakery, but the latest turbulent in the World (lockdowns, war in Ukraine -the largest wheat exporter in the World) are holding me from this last step. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: #Journey2Bakery
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Journey2Bakery/ 

Image Credits
Afritz Photography