09/04/2026
A Little Behind the Scenes ❤️
As many of you probably know by now, I love to boast about my wonderful wife.
Her dedication to life, her family, me—her husband—and, of course, the bakery goes without saying. Honestly, sometimes it’s beyond words.
What you may not always know are some of the challenges we face behind the scenes. And since so many of you have become more than customers—you’ve become friends and part of our extended family—we feel comfortable sharing a little more of our story.
As you read about our past 60 days, I’ve included some pictures from happier and quieter moments together: our trip to Hyde Park and the Culinary Institute of America, the Hudson River, a beautiful little castle where we stayed while picking some amazing apples, and our travels to Napa Valley and San Francisco.
I share them because even during challenging seasons, there are beautiful moments worth remembering.
My message to this community is always one of tremendous gratitude. You welcomed us into your town, your homes, and your hearts. We appreciate that more than you probably realize, and we try to give back whenever and however we can.
The past 60 days have been an emotional and physical challenge for us.
This was our first summer and our first true off-season at the bakery. We had to adjust our hours. Some staff stayed, while others made decisions that were best for themselves and their families. Like any new small business, we were learning and adjusting as we went.
In the middle of all of this, I became very sick from Crohn’s disease, a condition I have lived with for many years. At times, it can be debilitating. The pain can become extremely difficult to manage, and sometimes hospitalization is the only option.
I hadn’t been feeling well for several weeks.
And guess who was there to carry me through it?
Steph.
Imagine having your husband in the hospital while still getting up in those early morning hours, opening the bakery, preparing everything for the day, welcoming customers with a smile, and somehow navigating everything else that comes with running a small business.
What an amazing woman.
The strength she showed during that time is difficult for me to put into words. Most people walking through our doors probably had no idea what was happening behind the scenes.
And somehow, she kept everything moving.
Through the grace of God, she was there for me, for our bakery, for our employees, and for all of you.
When you own a small business—especially a new one—sometimes you have to make difficult choices. Closing for several days to take care of yourself sounds simple, but during your first year, sometimes it doesn’t feel like an option.
So, if we fell short in any way during that period, we sincerely apologize. We were navigating some very unfamiliar waters.
Unfortunately, our story gets a little worse before it gets better.
Just as I recovered and started feeling like myself again, the stress, pressure, lack of sleep, dehydration, and sheer exhaustion caught up with Steph.
Suddenly, it was my turn to be scared.
She experienced an issue with her heart that resulted in an emergency hospital visit and several days of monitoring.
We had barely gotten out of one situation before finding ourselves in another.
Thankfully, after testing and wearing a heart monitor, we received wonderful news: her heart is healthy. She had simply pushed herself too far and had become severely dehydrated and exhausted.
So, as any good husband would do—and just as she had done for me—I stepped in.
I opened the bakery. I prepared everything she had taught me. I did my best to keep things moving.
And you know what?
We made it.
Maybe not perfectly. Maybe a little tired. Maybe with a few more gray hairs. 😂
But we made it.
We cut back our weekday hours a little for the remainder of summer, learned some valuable lessons about taking care of ourselves, and these days both of us drink a whole lot more water and electrolytes.
Love is an interesting thing.
There are so many pieces of a relationship that determine who we are together. It’s easy to love one another when everything is going well. It’s during the difficult moments that you discover what your relationship is really made of.
I can say without hesitation that the love we share, our dedication to one another, and our dedication to this community mean everything to us.
We are here for each other.
And we are here for you.
It gives us tremendous joy to watch all of you walk through our doors—to sit and talk, hold your weekly meetings, share stories, laugh with us, bring your families, celebrate milestones and, of course… play a little bingo!
Somewhere along this journey, Steph’s Bakery became more than a bakery to us.
It became a family.
And all of you are part of it.
Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your encouragement. Thank you for supporting our little business. And most importantly, thank you for caring about the two people behind it.
If you have a chance this weekend, stop by and say hello. We would genuinely love to see you.
Words of encouragement go a long way. So do prayers.
With everything happening in the world today, our prayer for all of you is simple:
Health. Happiness. Peace. And kindness.
There is a lot of truth in the saying:
Be kind to one another. You never really know what someone may be going through behind their smile.
We’re all human. We all have struggles. And sometimes a little kindness, gratitude, and understanding can mean more than we realize.
Have a wonderful weekend.
With love and gratitude,
Serg & Steph ❤️
P.S. Steph is fast asleep as I write this and, of course, has absolutely no idea I’m posting it. 😂❤️
