Cottage Bakers of the Shoals
- Melody Elkin
- Apr 21
- 7 min read
Not long ago, selling baked goods from your own kitchen in Alabama wasn’t a legal option. Home bakers operated quietly, sharing cakes at community events, taking word-of-mouth orders, or navigating a gray area that kept real growth just out of reach. If you wanted to do it “the right way,” you needed a commercial kitchen, which was an expensive barrier that stopped many talented bakers before they ever began.
That changed in 2014, when Alabama introduced its first cottage food law, officially allowing certain shelf-stable foods to be made and sold from home kitchens. It was a cautious start by limiting income, and plenty of restrictions, but it cracked the door open. For the first time, home baking could be more than a hobby.
Then, in 2021, Alabama removed the income cap and expanded what home bakers could do, transforming cottage baking from a side hustle into a legitimate business path. Today, some of the most interesting and personal food businesses don’t start in storefronts; they start at home. And in places like the Shoals, that shift isn’t just legal, it’s shaping the future of the local food scene.
We interviewed five Shoals Cottage Bakers, right from where they sell their hand-crafted goods, so that you could get to know the talent and passion that lives (and bakes) right in your backyard.
Turning Frosting Into a Future
Buttercream Bliss Cupcakery
For many food entrepreneurs, like Brandi, launching a cottage bakery isn’t just a side-hustle. It represents the fulfillment of a dream and the beginning of something bigger that could have positive and lasting effects for years to come.
Brandi was a dedicated stay-at-home mother, who found herself a single mother, in search of options to keep herself and her children above water. Suddenly the skills she had honed while baking for her children’s birthday parties became the talent and experience she needed to launch her own brand and support her family.
Buttercream Bliss almost didn’t happen when Brandi’s application was not selected for the first farmer’s market season, but as good things go to those who wait, her application was accepted the following season and the rest is history.
We had the pleasure to meet and interview Brandi at her most recent pop-up event, and here are a few of our favorite Q&A moments:
Q: What is the one item the people have to try?
A: "The favorite is the Reece’s peanut butter cup cupcake (photo). It has a whole Reece’s cup in the center of it."
Q: What is the story behind the recipe?
A: "It was a favorite candy bar of the whole family. Any flavors that I like, I try to put them in a cupcake."
Q: At what moment did you realize that this business was going to work for you?
A: "I knew it was going to work when I was getting repeat customers, and people that would hunt us down."
You can hunt down Buttercream Bliss Cupcakery for your upcoming wedding, birthday party or special event by liking and following her Facebook page, or send an email to: buttercreamblisscupcakes@gmail.com.
The Trailblazer
Campbell's Kitchen
Regina Campbell has been cooking since she was twelve, and it shows. After retirement, she wanted to continue working, but on her own terms, so she took her skills and popped up a tent as she launched the first iteration of Campbell's Kitchen in 2022.
In 2023, she built a custom trailer, dedicated to her late mother and father, parents of seven children, who were her inspiration and first instructors in the kitchen. You will see "In memory of mom and dad" inscribed on the back of her well-appointed trailer as she comes and goes from one location to the next. This shift to a mobile eatery, made her the first cottage baker to hit the road.
Unlike many other cottage bakers, Campbell's trailer operation allows her to also offer a full range of concessions throughout the year at fairs and festivals.
She was an absolute joy to interview, and the following are some of the highlights:
Q: What is the one item from your menu that people have to try?
A: "I am always changing my menu, but I always bring the classic strawberry cake (photo), and the butter-pecan squares. I'm already sold out. Those go first."
Q: What is the most difficult part of launching your own food brand?
A: "The hardest part is the time it takes for people to get to know, and trust you because you bake from home. But, I think me having been in the public eye for over thirty years, and a lot of people know me - I really didn't have a problem launching this."
Q: Is there a big difference between operating out of a tent versus a trailer?
A: "There is a big difference! All the regulations are different and you need to have it health-inspected."
Despite her earlier retirement, Campbell's Kitchen doesn't plan to slow down any time soon. She works when and where she wants, plans strategically and takes all the breaks she needs so that she continues to love her craft, well into the future.
You can find Campbell's Kitchen in a variety of locations across the Shoals, including the W.C. Handy festival and upcoming Shoals Chamber event: Sweet Sounds of the Shoals, on April 30. Like and follow her Facebook page to catch her!
From Baking Bread to Healing Hands
Simply Can't Decide
When faced with an unexpected health crisis, Brittany was forced to pivot her career which led her to revisit her experience as a home cook. Like many local bakers, she launched Simply Can't Decide at the Killen Farmer's Market. After taking her customer's feedback into consideration, she shifted from chocolate-covered sweets to Irish Soda Bread, eventually developing over 55 different flavors, and became her signature offering.
Irish soda bread is a traditional, quick-cooking Irish bread that uses baking soda and buttermilk as leavening agents instead of yeast. It features a crunchy crust with a soft, dense interior, typically made from just four staple ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk.
Though Brittany has considered a brick and mortar bakery, she is keenly self-aware of her limitations of letting go in order to hire help. Instead, Brittany has recently earned her massage therapy license, and looks forward to going full steam ahead in another direction. Though she will still continue to make and sell her unique take on Irish Soda Bread on occasion, she is excited for this new chapter in her life.
When she's not busy giving you a much-needed massage, you can find Brittany and Simply Can't Decide by liking and following her on Facebook.
The Sourdough Specialist
HHH Bakes
With a 200-year-old Alaskan sourdough starter on display, we tracked down Alyson of HHH Bakes at one of her favorite pop-up locations in Russellville, the GrubLot. "I have five distinct starters that all have their own special little stories." HHH Bakes proudly educated us on the intricacies and uniqueness of her craft.
HHH Bakes launched in 2021, has gradually built a loyal following and hasn't looked back. Alyson often practices new flavor combinations using a yeast-risen dough, so that she can ensure that the combo is worthy of transition to sourdough, a process that takes over three days to execute.
Her Garlic Herb and Blueberry White Chocolate Loaves can't be missed, as those are her customer's consistent favorites from her menu. In addition, she also displays an array of everything from fresh bagels to cookies.
As with some of the other bakers we interviewed, the detailed process of the required labelling tends to be one of the biggest challenges with running her cottage food operation, as every single ingredient (and sub-ingredient) must be listed carefully to protect customers from potential allergens.
As for the future of HHH Bakes? Alyson has found the ideal fit of flexibility and fun as a cottage baker, and her goals are to continue growing and serve more and more happy customers.
You can pre-order from HHH Bakes by contacting her through her Facebook page, where you can also find her posted pop-up locations throughout the Shoals.
From Pro to Pop-Up
Flour & Flame
If you ever made time for tea at the former Enchanted Gatherings Tea Shop in downtown Florence, you’ve already had a taste of Brianne’s work, you just may not have known her name yet.
Now, she’s stepping into the spotlight as the founder of Flour & Flame.
Behind the scenes at the tea room, Brianne quietly built a following, crafting both savory bites and delicate sweets, including her now-famous scones. When the tea shop closed, something unexpected happened: customers kept coming back… looking for more.
She took the hint, and a leap. With the confidence she built in her first professional kitchen, Brianne launched her own cottage bakery, turning loyal fans into repeat customers and passion into a growing business.
So, What's a must-try? "Anything with almond!" she says.
Her Golden Almond Rolls are the standout, filled with rich frangipane, a buttery, almond, pastry cream that gives each bite a soft, sweet depth you don’t forget.
But it’s not just the flavors, it’s the personality. Her cookies are as playful as she is, each one named with a touch of whimsy that makes you smile before you even take a bite.
For Brianne, Flour & Flame is just the beginning. She sees this chapter as a stepping stone toward opening her own coffee shop one day. For now, she’s focused on what matters most: creating, connecting, and building something people come back for.
“Having repeat customers makes me feel really, really good,” she says. And it shows in every detail.
Want to catch her next pop-up? Follow along and stay ready because you’ll have to know where to look. In the Shoals, some of the best things aren’t sitting on shelves… they’re waiting to be discovered.
Discover Flour & Flame for yourself by liking and following on her Facebook page to find out where she'll pop-up next!
Both rookie and seasoned bakers make up a growing community of food entrepreneurs who are quietly making the Shoals a whole lot sweeter. Choosing to shop small might take a little more intention—and sometimes a little more investment, but the return is something you can’t replicate: helping your neighbors turn passion into possibility.
The next time you’re craving something special, skip the ordinary. Seek out a cottage baker, place an order, and taste the difference of something made close to home.
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