Mama's Take and Bake

05/25/2026

Hey guys! Our neighbors at the Spokane Business Journal reached out to us a few weeks ago and now we're making the news. Thank you, Matthew Stephens for sitting down with us.

Wandering Bear Kitchen is prepping to open at 429 E. Second in Spokane, with a focus on wood-smoked meals, take-and-bake dishes, and community connection. Belinda and Shaunn Wenig expect to open the 800-square-foot facility in late May, offering a gathering spot where people can meet and eat.

04/27/2026

We are still hard at work converting this once former gas station into a proper eatery.

Part of what's taking some time is that we have to make sure the space is satisfactory for several government entities, our landlord, and insurance company. Wood smoke means we will be using fire, so everyone wants to ensure that we are set up appropriately from the very beginning.

The good news is that we have made a ton of progress over the last week and we are just about ready to move into the final stage before opening, which means lots of paperwork and inspections.

Thank you all for continuing to believe in us!

03/26/2026

Ok guys, we are finally making headway. There has been a lot of two steps forward, one step backs with darn near every part of this process this winter.

For example, we got our new wheels for the smoker, but then needed to drill new mounting holes because the plates were different sizes.... but we got them on and they look great!

We are now fully in transition to our new business name and logo, so if you have been trying to reach out, I apologize.

Our business phone has been MIA since we put everything in storage last spring. I'm getting down to my last few boxes and still haven't found it, so we will probably just be replacing it. We will have the same number. Our email address will be changing, however.

The Google page is a mess until we get our new signs up as they are requiring verification that we moved locations.They unfortunately won't even let me put that we're temporarily closed. I have tried reaching out to them with our lease papers and received no response. Verifying through video is our only option right now.

So...on to the good news!

We just got confirmation that our new signs have been printed off and should be ready for installation next week. Thank you to our graphic design guy, Chris Bean and the guys over at Grid Mark signs for your help.

We just have a few more things to work on to make our landlord and the city happy and then we can reopen under our new name.

01/13/2026

A little update for everyone
We are continuing to get the building prepped for opening, but as with any epic adventure, this has continued to have its ups and downs.
Our cement pad has been installed and cured. We have our smoker, but unfortunately, two of the wheels got bent while unloading it. We have ordered some nice heavy duty replacements, but it will take time to get them delivered and replaced.

While the constant setbacks have been frustrating, I try to remember that all of the best adventures have their ups and downs. Afterall, nobody would be really interested in hearing about a little fellow's leisurely stroll up an ordinary mountain.

11/21/2025

We are beginning the process of moving our equipment into the new restaurant this weekend!

In the meantime, we wanted to make a post about a very special canine who is looking for his forever home. His name is Beetle and he is available right now at Spokanamal.

My husband fell in love with him at first sight, but unfortunately we already have a full house!

Check out the link below to see Beetle's story and pictures ❤️

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DqpjBNxx5/

11/14/2025

We just got word that our smoker is ready to be picked up this weekend in Port Orchard. We have just a few more things to check off our list and then we should be ready for inspection!

11/14/2025

The kids and I spent the afternoon delivering fresh produce to several of the little pantries throughout our wonderful community. We are almost out of apples, but we still have plenty of potatoes to go around!

11/09/2025

We are delivering 50lbs of potatoes and 25lbs of apples to We Help Us, located out in the Spokane Valley this morning.
Many of these smaller food pantries deliver to those who are not mobile in our area, so if you are looking for help or for a worthy cause to volunteer for, please reach out.
If you are looking to donate, Helping Hands and We Help Us could both use non perishables, and We Help Us could specifically use medium boxes for making their meal kits.
We have a few more community pantries we're waiting to hear back from, so we will keep you posted!

11/09/2025

We donated 200lbs of potatoes last Thursday to Helping Hands and we've got 50lbs of apples for them on Monday.
If anyone is in need of food or are looking for volunteer opportunities, Helping Hands is a wonderful non profit.
We've attached a list of organizations below in our area that are offering help for the month of November.
Also, most food pantries are in need of meat and eggs. If anyone has a lead on a local distributor, please let us know!

11/07/2025

We are working hard behind the scenes to get our new location up and running!
In the mean time, we have purchased over 800lbs of potatoes and over 150lbs of apples from local distributors to give to our community pantries.
Thank you to the guys out at Sunset Orchards for helping us pack and load apples and to Larry's Produce for delivering the potatoes!