Former home-based Let It Bake finds new home-base in Green Bay

Rich Palzewic

Staff

December 29, 2025

GREEN BAY – Samantha Lax said she owes a friend of hers for giving her the inspiration to start Let It Bake.

Now operating from a new downtown Green Bay storefront at 114 S. Broadway, Lax said Let It Bake – a gluten-free and dairy-free bakery – was inspired when a former co-worker gave her a gluten-free cookbook and asked her to try baking something for her.

“I really didn’t have any baking background,” she laughed. “I don’t have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, but my friend [who gave me the cookbook] did. After I made her something, she asked me to make something else. It became a challenge for me – I was trying to get these recipes to turn out because she couldn’t get them to turn out.”

From there, Lax said her friend connected her with an acquaintance who had a booth at an upcoming craft fair and encouraged her to make some baked goods to see if they would sell.

“I made some cookies and muffins and sent them to the craft fair with her,” she said.

To her “slight disappointment,” Lax said her goodies didn’t sell, and her friend brought everything back.

“After that, I didn’t sign up for anything [else], but, because I liked the prep of getting ready for that fair, I figured I’d just keep baking and see how things turned out,” she said. “My friend liked what I was baking for her, and she’s the type of person who would tell me if she didn’t like what I baked. That gave me the confidence to keep pressing on.”

Determined not to give up on her newfound passion for gluten-free baking, Lax said she turned to Facebook for support.

“I’d post things I made and then donate them to our local daycare for their craft fairs or fundraising events,” she said. “Other families would purchase my items, and it slowly came back to me. Somebody would ask, ‘Oh, those were good – where did they actually come from?’”

Building on that momentum, Lax said she launched Let It Bake in 2024.

“Within the last year and a half, I’ve found my footing on what I’ve wanted Let It Bake to become,” she said.

From her home to a brick-and-mortar location

In the beginning, Lax said she did all her baking at home, legally operating under Wisconsin’s Cottage Food Laws – which allow home bakers to sell non-potentially hazardous baked goods directly to consumers without a license, provided they comply with specific regulations.

“I wasn’t really even looking to get a brick-and-mortar location – that’s just the way it all unfolded… as a series of fortunate events,” she said. “When I’d attend events, or I’d have people message me and ask if I baked in a dedicated gluten-free facility, the answer was always ‘no.’ Personally, I don’t have celiac, and I’m not gluten-free 100% of the time.”

Because she was “obviously” also using her home kitchen to cook for her family, Lax said there was always a risk of cross-contamination.

“I knew if I wanted to work off the momentum I was creating, I had to look outside of my own kitchen,” she said. “I had looked at my successes over the past several months, especially after participating in the Titletown Market, where I really gained a following. That also drove me to look at a more permanent space.”

Lax said using Facebook Marketplace played a key role in helping her land the South Broadway location.

“I was scrolling on Facebook Marketplace one day, and I had seen the posting for this space becoming available to rent,” she said. “In the listing pictures, they were actually photos from when the space was Pepper, which was a gluten-free restaurant.”

Because the former space also dealt with gluten-free options, Lax said she was immediately drawn to it.

“There was a picture of the space from the road, and you could see on the window that it said ‘gluten-free lounge,’” she said. “The space was beautifully decorated when it was Pepper, and there was so much opportunity. My husband gave me his backing to look at the space during an open house.”

Though she fell in love with the space, Lax said several other people attended the open house.

“At the open house, there were several other people who attended,” she said. “I came with some numbers and a business plan. I gave those to the landlord, looked around, took pictures, went home and got a message from her later thanking me for coming, and that she’d be in touch over the next couple of days.”

About five days later, Lax said the landlord informed her that she would like to move forward with her having the space.

“I was so excited,” she said. “That was a Monday, so it was a great way to start the week. I signed the lease a couple of days later, and we started to make things happen.”

Because moving into a brick-and-mortar spot wasn’t “immediately on her agenda,” Lax said she had to “scrounge around for equipment.”

“Of course, I first went to Facebook Marketplace,” she laughed. “Then I had to clean and sanitize everything to make sure it was ready for me to come in. The health inspectors also had to give their approval. Oct. 30 was my first official day of baking [in the new space].”

As for the physical space located next to Jake’s Pizza, Lax said it didn’t need much work.

“It was really move-in ready,” she said. “Between the landlord and me, we had to touch up some paint, and I put in some shelving for a few local vendors to sell their products.”

How it started, how it’s going

Lax said she admits she was anxious about opening, and the quiet first couple of weeks added to her nerves.

“It was so incredibly slow,” she said. “I was actually bored, because I could make five dozen cookies, and they’d sit there for three days. It got to the point where I had to donate them – which was not wasting the product, but it wasn’t profitable for me. I was getting frustrated.”

However, on a recent Friday, Lax said a sudden wave of customers entered Let It Bake for no apparent reason – none of them regulars, but they wiped the shelves. 

“I was here making sourdough, and a wave of people who I didn’t even know – they weren’t my regulars – came in and wiped the shelves,” she said. “I don’t think any of them were together – they were all individuals. I thought the moment was strange, and I really couldn’t explain why it happened.”

Lax said “I didn’t have any product left,” so she had to notify the organizer of the Saturday morning event at the Bellin Building that she wouldn’t be able to attend.

“I can’t make my product that fast, so I had to back out,” she said.

With her grand opening scheduled for the following week, Lax said she spent the weekend stocking up.

Even Monday night, she said, brought unexpected foot traffic, which is unusual for a Monday on Broadway, especially with Jake’s Pizza closed.

Though the day was chaotic, Lax said it was also exhilarating.

She said she spent the following week trying to catch up, but the steady stream of customers made it impossible – in the best way.

“That was the week before Thanksgiving, so then came Thanksgiving week, and I’m drowning in orders – it was just pure chaos all the way through Wednesday night [Nov. 26],” she said.

Looking back, Lax said she isn’t sure how she managed to get through the hectic weeks following her storefront’s opening.

Better tastes

Lax said she’s familiar with the common criticisms people have about gluten-free items.

“In the past, I’ve heard complaints about texture, taste and overall quality [of gluten-free items],” she said. “That was one of the cool things about being a gluten-free baker. Not being dedicated to eating gluten-free in my own lifestyle, I would taste my stuff, and if I didn’t like it, why would somebody else like it?”

Lax said because she can eat non-gluten-free food herself, she feels confident selling her products to the public if they taste as good as – or better than – regular options.

“I taste-test every new recipe I make before it comes out,” she said. “I also let my husband and my kids try things. My son wants to be a YouTuber, so on my Facebook page, I have a couple of videos of him giving one-bite reviews. He’s funny because he’s not gluten-free, so he will give an honest opinion. I definitely have people I can trust for honest feedback.”

Lax said she’s also received great reviews from her repeat customers.

“They rave about the texture, the shelf life and how you can bite into something and it doesn’t fall apart,” she said. “My repeat customers who come in continue to share how good my stuff is with me and with the community on other social platforms.”

Lax said gluten-free baking has come a long way in recent years.

“There are better quality ingredients,” she said. “One of the really cool things with the bread flour is that they have gluten-free wheat, so you’re removing that gluten. If you have a wheat allergy, it’s not going to be a good choice. But if you just have that gluten allergy, that bread flour is a great replacement – you don’t lose the quality of your products.”

Since Cottage Food Laws restrict hiring employees when operating from home, Lax remains a one-woman operation at her new storefront, though she said that could eventually change.

“[Hiring employees to start] would have been a lot to figure out from a business perspective,” she said. “As I’ve started gaining more traction, I think employees will be coming – just not right now. I’ll eventually get there, but for now, I’m happy figuring things out on my own.”

For hours, additional information and to place online orders, head to Let It Bake’s Facebook page.