Our Heritage

Where Every Loaf
Has a Story

Three generations of patient hands, warm hearths, and the quiet alchemy of flour, water, and time — baking bread that brings people together since 1987.

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The Journey

A Legacy Risen from the Hearth

It began with a stone hearth in a small farmhouse kitchen in the rolling hills of Vermont. Margaret Holloway — known to everyone as Maggie — learned to bake at her grandmother's side, measuring flour by feel and reading the dough like a living thing. What started as a weekly ritual of Saturday morning bread became a calling that would span decades, cross continents, and eventually find its home in the heart of our community.

Today, Hearth & Crust carries forward that same reverence for slow fermentation, locally milled grains, and the irresistible aroma of fresh bread pulling people through the door before the sun has fully risen.

1987
The Farmhouse Beginning

Maggie Holloway bakes her first sourdough boule in her grandmother's cast-iron Dutch oven. The recipe, scribbled on a yellowed index card, becomes the foundation of everything to come.

1995
The First Brick & Mortar

With savings from six years of farmers' market sales and a small loan, Maggie opens the original Hearth & Crust on a quiet corner of Maple Street — just 400 square feet with one oven and a dream.

2008
The Sourdough Revolution

Our 72-hour naturally leavened country loaf gains a cult following. Bakers from across the region visit to learn Maggie's techniques, and Hearth & Crust becomes a destination bakery.

2018
A Community Hub

We expand into a larger space with a sunlit café, open kitchen, and weekly bread-making workshops. The bakery becomes a gathering place — a true hearth for the neighborhood.

2024
Rooted & Growing

Now run by Maggie alongside a team of passionate bakers, Hearth & Crust continues to honor tradition while embracing sustainable practices, heritage grains, and the ever-evolving craft of artisan baking.

Meet the Bakers

The Hands Behind the Hearth

Margaret Holloway, Founder & Head Baker

Margaret Holloway

Founder & Head Baker

Affectionately known as Maggie, she has spent nearly four decades perfecting the craft of naturally leavened bread. A self-taught baker with an instinct for fermentation, Maggie still arrives at 3 AM to feed the starters she's kept alive since 1987.

Thomas Ashworth, Pastry Chef

Thomas Ashworth

Pastry Chef

Trained in Lyon and inspired by the patisseries of Paris, Thomas brings a touch of European elegance to our pastry case. His croissants — with 81 layers of butter-laminated dough — have been called "the flakiest east of the Atlantic."

Elena Ruiz, Sourdough Specialist

Elena Ruiz

Sourdough Specialist

Elena joined Hearth & Crust in 2016 after studying traditional grain cultivation in Oaxaca. She manages our library of wild yeast starters and champions our heritage grain program, working directly with regional farmers.

What We Believe

Rooted in Tradition,
Baked with Purpose

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Heritage Grains

We source organic, stone-milled grains from small farms within 120 miles of our bakery. Every kernel tells a story of the soil it grew in.

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Slow Fermentation

Our doughs ferment for 48 to 72 hours, developing deep, complex flavors that can never be rushed. Patience is our most essential ingredient.

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Community Hearth

We believe a bakery should be the warm heart of its neighborhood — a place where everyone is welcome, and nobody leaves without a smile.

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Zero Waste

From donating day-olds to local shelters to composting every scrap, we're committed to leaving nothing behind but the memory of a perfect loaf.