Category: Business Profiles

Meet the Independent Businesses Behind The Hive – Healthy Chef Shell

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The Village Hive is now home to eleven different small businesses! In order to help our customers get to know a little bit more about our bakers, every week we will be sending out a profile about each independent business.
Our featured baker this week is Healthy Chef Shell.
Shelly Platten, better know around The Hive as Chef Shell, is passionate about healthy eating and providing her customers with foods that nourish. Shelly bakes in The Hive’s kitchen two days a week when she isn’t teaching cooking classes or doing chef demos across the state. Shelly’s products are almost always vegan and grain-free, providing options for customers with specific dietary needs. She caters to those who have restrictive diets by cooking without eggs or dairy and adding naturally nourishing ingredients such as chia seeds, coconut flakes, and raw almonds. Shelly is the go-to baker at the Hive when you need something tailored to your specific dietary requirements. If you need it, Shelly can make it!
Originally from Manitowoc County, Shelly moved to the Amherst area in 1989. She raised her children here and was very involved with 4-H and the Jensen Center. In 2014, Shelly moved to Appleton to be closer to Fox Valley Technical College as she pursued her chef certification. Food has been a lifelong passion of Shelly’s which goes hand in hand with her love of gardening and all that is fresh and flavorful.
For more information or to place an order contact Shelly Platten via phone (715-347-2705), email (mplatten3@gmail.com), or by visiting her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/chefshellyplatten/

Meet the Independent Businesses behind The Hive: MbK Truffles

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The Village Hive is now home to thirteen different small businesses! In order to help our customers get to know a little bit more about our bakers, every week we will be posting a profile about each business.

Our featured business this week is MbK Truffles.

As someone with only a few years of junior high Home Economics experience prior to creating her business, MbK Truffles, Lisa Waldoch is a champion of challenges. Lisa defines herself as a learner who always accepts a challenge, with her work at the Hive being no different. Since starting MbK, Lisa has learned to make a vast array of truffles from White Chocolate Pop Rocks to decadent Dark Chocolate. As the baker puts it, life is all about balance. A healthy diet can still be healthy even if it includes a truffle now and again.

Lisa is originally from Stevens Point, but later moved to Amherst. After moving away for her early adulthood, Lisa returned to Amherst in 1998, to raise her children. Since then, all of her kids have attended the Tomorrow River School District have been involved in the community. As Lisa’s oldest son is now a senior in high school, she and her husband spend more time in the community supporting the downtown businesses. “As a frequent customer of the restaurants on Main Street, food establishments continue to thrive and grow in the Village of Amherst. I thank the local restaurants for providing a social atmosphere.”

For more information or to place an order contact Lisa Waldoch via email (we2b4@wi-net.com).

Meet the Independent Businesses behind The Hive: Fiddlebread Baking Company

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The Village Hive is now home to thirteen different small businesses! In order to help our customers get to know a little bit more about our bakers, every week we will be posting a profile about each business.

Our featured business this week is Fiddlebread Baking Company LLC.

Joe Hoffman, owner of Fiddlebread Baking Company, has been crafting artisan loaves for the Amherst community even before the opening of The Village Hive. Joe’s love of bread began in 1991 during a summer abroad in Germany. The exquisite tastes of Europe inspired him to try his hand at baking bread himself. Eventually after a chance encounter with Amy Powers and David Ryle, co-owners of the New Village Bakery in Amherst, Joe began training under David. The New Village Bakery eventually closed, giving way to Amy’s solo project, The Village Hive, and Joe’s own business within The Hive, Fiddlebread Baking Co.

Now in his seventh year at The Village Hive, Joe continues to craft the finest breads every Friday night for Saturday customers. Breadman Joe, as he’s affectionately known, uses his now extensive knowledge and experience to serve up popular bread flavors such as Meteil, Swiss Cracked Wheat, Cranberry Oat, and Ciabatta. Textures and flavors combine perfectly in Joe’s bread, making his loaves something you’ll want to share with your family and friends.

“Sharing bread with friends & family is one of life’s simple & staple joys,” Joe said. “If a mysterious concoction of flour, water, salt & yeast can bring people together then how fortunate am I to be able to delve into that mystery!”

Joe is originally from southwest Minnesota but now calls Wisconsin Rapids home with his wife and two young sons. When he isn’t baking bread or spending time with his family, Joe is a college arboriculture instructor.

For more information or to place an order contact Joe Hoffman via email (fiddlebread@gmail.com), or by visiting his facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/fiddlebread/

Meet the Independent Businesses behind The Hive: Baking For Friends

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The Village Hive is now home to thirteen different small businesses! In order to help our customers get to know a little bit more about our bakers, every week we will be posting a different profile of each business. All of these special profiles were written by Erin Thompson, a journalism student at UW-Oshkosh, who has been an important part of the Hive for over three years.

This week’s featured business is Baking For Friends. Expert baker Victoria Vaughn, specializes in pies, and provides weekly breakfast and lunch specials at The Hive, alongside an impressive assortment of cookies, muffins, pasties, potpies, and salads.

As one of the first bakers to become involved at The Village Hive, Victoria Vaughn has been cooking for the Amherst community for seven years. Motivated by a genuine love of feeding people, Vickie specializes in baking whatever the Hive needs. She is an expert pie maker, creating at least two varieties of pie each week. She also stocks the bakery with everyone’s favorite chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Beyond her other various sweet treats such as shortbreads, scones, and coffee cake, Vickie provides weekly breakfast and lunch specials Wednesday through Friday. Customer favorites include her Chicken Pot Pies, Cheesy Beef Goulash, and Green Chili Quiche.

After retiring from 35 years of teaching, Vickie decided she wasn’t done working and wanted to pursue her other passion which was cooking. Her origins as a cook were rooted in necessity because, as Vickie puts it, she learned to cook because she loves to eat. She puts great love into everything she makes and finds the connections she shares with people so rewarding.

Vickie is a integral member of the Amherst community, having lived in the area for 34 years. Her husband and she raised their children here and have come to be heavily involved in community organizations and initiatives just like The Village Hive. She is proud to offer food made with love to the community that has supported her endeavor so wholeheartedly.

For more information or to place an order contact Vickie Vaughn via phone (715-572-3154), email (victorialvaughn@gmail.com), or by visiting her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/bakingforfriends/

 

Meet the Independent Businesses Behind The Village Hive: Kasia’s Cupboard

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The Village Hive is now home to thirteen different small businesses! In order to help our customers get to know a little bit more about our bakers, every week we will be sending out a different profile of each independent business.

Please feel free to contact us for more information about our bakers and their products. All of these special profiles were written by Erin Thompson, a journalism student at UW-Oshkosh, who has been part of the Hive for over three years.

Our first featured business is Kasia’a Cupboard. Owner Kathy Groshek, bakes every week for The Hive, offering Wheat-Free Peanut Butter Cookies, cupcakes, and a variety of bars.


As a lifelong lover of cooking, Kathy Groshek was drawn to The Village Hive two years ago as a way to turn her baking hobby into a small business; Kasia’s Cupboard.

Kathy draws inspiration for her weekly creations from childhood recipes that she used to make with her parents and eight siblings on Saturday mornings. At the Hive, Kathy is best know by her Wheat-free, Dairy-free Peanut Butter Cookies, decadent Oatmeal Fudge Bars, and the ever-popular Lemon or Key Lime Bars. These recipes were family favorites during her childhood and continue to be favorites of Hive customers.

Kathy is originally from Custer and has family in Amherst and Amherst Junction making her very familiar with the area. She plans to expand Kasia’s Cupboard, making more treats for her customers following her retirement. Kathy is now available to take special orders for her beautiful cupcakes, bars, and Wheat-free, Dairy-free Peanut Butter Cookies.

For more information or to place an order contact Kathy Groshek via phone (715-572-7247) or email (groshekkathy@gmail.com).