Swampscott is home to a growing number of residential kitchens, and Sara Winer told the Swampscott Tides that the work gives her both the freedom – and joy – she’s been seeking.
“It’s just fun for me…It’s a passion in my life. I’ve been doing it for a long time,” Winer said. “If I were 45 or 50, I would have a business, but I don’t need a heavy duty big business. This is right for me.”
In Massachusetts, home kitchens, or residential kitchens, are private homes authorized to produce certain foods for direct sale to consumers. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s food protection program works with local Boards of Health to ensure operations are safe. These kitchens often offer items like breads, cookies, cakes and jams.
For Winer, baking became an official pursuit in 2016, though she said she had long been the go-to dessert provider for book club meetings, JCC activities, work clients, and social gatherings with friends.
“Little by little, people would say ‘Oh that was really good, can you make one for me?’” Winer said. “So then mostly for the Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashannah and Passover I make desserts and other items that you would need for those holidays. It just took off.”
Winer, a former teacher and commercial printing salesperson, now has a list of about 75 regular customers for her business, Sara’s Baked Goods.
“I just love it. When I’m in my kitchen I’m really happy. It’s my happy place,” Winer said.
More recently, Winer has expanded into soups in addition to baked goods. Noticing that “a lot of single people don’t enjoy cooking,” she found a way to meet that need, and she said the soup side has “taken off wildly.”
Around the holidays, Winer said she often offers around 20 different items. She rotates through about ten soups, with her favorite being either the lentil or chicken soups. Winer also said she loves working with yeast for treats like babka and challah.
Around the holidays, Winer offers about 20 different items and rotates through roughly 10 soups. Her favorites are lentil and chicken, and she especially enjoys working with yeast for treats like babka and challah.
Some recipes come from Winer’s past, including her mother’s Rosh Hashanah sponge cake and her mother-in-law’s specialties. Her banana bread is adapted from a recipe she once found in a newspaper, but “I decided it’s a little boring so I started adding the chocolate chips and that became a really good one.”
“But I’m not looking for everyone to purchase,” Winer said, adding that she sends a newsletter of options. “I’m just putting myself out there. I’m 78 years old…It’s something that keeps me busy and happy. That’s more the reason I do it.”
Kate Holloran is also building a name for her sourdough baking business in Swampscott, experimenting with flavors like jalapeño cheddar, chocolate chip, chili crunch oil with green onion, and even rainbow sprinkles.
Holloran has created a wide range of baked goods — including bagels, English muffins, cinnamon rolls, pizzas, Dutch babies, Pop-Tarts, and donuts — which she showcases on her Instagram account, @kateinthekitch3n.
“It’s become more than I ever could have imagined,” Holloran previously told the Swampscott Tides. “My favorite part is seeing people, hearing people’s reactions, seeing people eat it. It’s heartwarming.”
