Jesse chats with Natalyn Chmielewski, a Bluffton-based cottage baker who’s been cooking up a storm and creating some seriously sexy breads….right out of her own kitchen.

Jesse Blanco: Welcome back to the Eat It and Like It podcast. You know, if you pay any kind of attention to the culinary scene around here, then you know that just beneath the surface of the culinary scene here is an entire really small industry of cottage artisans who are making pastas, who are making breads, who are doing all kinds of things, making great eats in this area. One of those is joining us here this morning. Her name is Natalyn Chmielewski, she’s with Seaside Sourdough Bakers. That’s what she’s created, that’s what looks absolutely incredible, and so we’re taking a few minutes to talk to her about what she’s doing and how you can get some hands on some really good looking bread. First of all, welcome. How are you?

Natalyn Chmielewski: I’m good, how are you?

JB: I’m good, I’m good. Thanks for taking a few minutes. You just told me before we got rolling here that you just moved to this area in August, and already, you just kind of hit the ground running. Is that accurate?

NC: Yeah, yeah, it’s kind of crazy how quickly things took off. But yeah, we just moved here from Wisconsin in August, and yeah, I started this little Seaside Sourdough Microbakery in the beginning of December. So things really took off very quickly.

JB: So you had to–and we’re gonna get into a little bit of your background so people understand who you are and where your talent comes from and all of that–but you had to have been thinking, okay, we’re gonna move down to South Carolina and I’m going to do this. You didn’t just wake up September 30th and say, I’m gonna start this business. You knew a few months out, right?

NC: So surprisingly, not necessarily. Yeah, I started sourdough about two years ago. A friend of mine back in Wisconsin was making sourdough and it kind of was trending at the time, but it was always really intimidating to me, kind of the whole process of it all. So a friend of mine, she offered to give me some of her starter and kind of take the time to teach me. So yeah, that’s when I learned, about two years ago, and I just kind of did it as a hobby just for friends and family. And so when we moved down here in August—it’s actually a funny story, let me kind of back up here. So, I had the sourdough going on for two years. When we decided to move down here, it was actually a really big decision if I was going to take this starter with me, because I don’t know if you know, or if anybody else knows, sourdough starter is like a child. You have to take care of it. You have to nurture it. You have to feed it. It’s kind of a big deal. So my husband was going to drive down to South Carolina, and I was going to fly with my kids. So the responsibility would be on my husband. So I kept going back and forth about it, that I’m like, should I trust him with this? Should I take it? Should I not? So I decided, “okay, you’ve got to take care of this.” He had to stay overnight, so we had to make sure there was a refrigerator, because if you’re not feeding it, it has to go in the fridge. So it’s just kind of a funny story, because I didn’t even know if I was going to take it with me or not when we moved down here, but yes, he ended up taking that responsibility, and it survived the trip and made it down here. Yeah, so we moved down here in August, and we stayed in an Airbnb for about a month, and then in September we moved into our house—it was still being built. So when we moved here in September, that’s when I made sure my sourdough starter was still thriving, and I just, you know, kind of started making bread again. It reminded me of home, just kind of a comfort thing. And as we started meeting our neighbors, and new neighbors were moving in, I was like, I should start giving them loaves of bread just to say hello, to welcome them… and that’s honestly where this all came from. It came from my neighbors. Every neighbor that I gave it to was like, this bread is amazing, you should start selling this. And just one after another, just for a while, people being like, “you should do this,” kind of just sat with me, and I just kind of thought about it. And I was like, maybe I should do this. So yeah, if it wasn’t for my neighbors, I definitely would not be here. I don’t think I’d have the confidence to make that jump, but just, that encouragement from them is how this started.

JB: Right. That said, I like how you’re doing it. You’re taking orders, you make controlled amounts… because there’s a big difference between, “hey, yeah, I’m making some bread this weekend, you want some, Carol?” and you give one to this neighbor and one to that neighbor, and okay, fine. But there’s a big difference between that, and now having the responsibility of doing it even when you don’t want to do it, because you have to work. But this way you can control how much you make.

NC: Yes.

JB: So, you kind of decided on the fly to do this. How much thought and preparation went into this? I mean, we’ll get into the things you make here in a second, but did you think it through, what your processes would be, and how you would go about trying to grow this business?

NC: Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. The biggest thing was, how am I going to sell this? I feel like the two ways you can go is the pre-order route, where people can pre-order and you’re making it fresh for what people want, or you make whatever you want, and you try and sell a pop-up thing, and people come and buy. So that was one of the main decisions, and I decided to do the pre-ordering, because I was worried about waste, and I didn’t really know how much interest that I’d have in the area. So I decided to go that route, and then, yeah, scaling it to a mass size is very different than just making a loaf here and there for my family. So yeah, a lot of research went into that, of just, how do I do this from my home oven? Because I’m doing it from home. So I had to change a lot of techniques, buy a lot more equipment of pans and… yeah, it was a big learning process. I would say probably [for] about a month I was kind of trialing different things, giving it to my neighbors, like “how is this?” 

JB: Sounds like you—pardon the pun, but you bit off a lot more than you wanted to chew at the beginning, and you just kind of figured it out. Is that accurate?

NC: Yes, absolutely. (laughing)

JB: So, okay, so tell us what it is that you—can’t go down the whole menu, but what are your most popular? Let’s start with that.

NC: Yeah, I mean, definitely the classic sourdough, I would say is the number one staple since I’ve started. And yeah, I would say I have about 10-15 flavors, like the other thing I’ve been trying to do is, every week, because I am new, I’m trying to add in new flavors and just kind of figure out, what do people like? So the classic sourdough is really popular, anything with cheese, I think is always a popular one. And then I have a chocolate chip one that I feel like is pretty popular. And otherwise, my sourdough chocolate chip cookies, that is like right up there. 

JB: Really? 

NC: Oh yeah, yeah, that is—people come back just for the cookies, for sure.

JB: Very interesting, you know, I didn’t have much experience with these flavored sourdoughs, if you will. Sometime [in the] middle of last year, I was up in Beaufort, and I’m sitting there in a gallery having a glass of wine with a friend. And this lady came up to me and she said, “hey, you’re so-and-so.” “Yeah, hey, how are you?” “Good. Well, I make these breads.” And she told me all about her thing that she was doing up there that she had just started. And she said, “I’d love for you to try some of my bread.” I’m like, “okay.” “I’ve got some in the car. Would you like to try?” So right there in the wine shop, I try a couple of these pieces of bread, and they were really good. And I’m bringing all this up just simply from the, I had never had—I don’t remember exactly the flavor, maybe it was sun-dried tomato that day? There were different flavors of sourdough bread, which I’m a huge fan of to begin with, and I found the whole thing fascinating. And that was part of why I reached out to you, it’s like, oh! This is interesting, and she’s here in Bluffton. Let me have a chat with her. So, you set up this system where the only way we can get our hands on what you make is to pre-order online, correct?

NC: Correct, yep.

JB: How does that work?

NC: Yeah, so basically it’s a week by week thing. So every Wednesday at 9 a.m. on my website, you can go on and you pre-order. And I change it every week, I always have classic sourdough, but I change up the flavors every week. Every other week, I do cookies. Otherwise, I’ve been doing new things. I do sourdough pretzel bites, those were really popular. And this coming week, I’m actually doing sourdough bagels for the first time, and people are really excited about that. So yeah, you just go on my website when it opens at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, and then you order, and then the following Wednesday, you come pick it up between 2 and 3 p.m. and then 4 and 6 p.m. on my front porch. So it’s the same thing over and over.

JB: Very cool, that gives you a week turnaround. You have obviously a finite amount that you know you’re going to make, when it’s gone, it’s gone. Are you selling out every week?

NC: So every week… it’s kind of hard to gauge, because every week I’m trying to up the amount I can make, just because I’m trying to push myself, I’m trying to see, how much can I produce? So it’s hard, because when I do sell out, I’ll add more. (laughing) Because I feel bad, you know what I mean? I’m like, oh shoot. Because I am kind of curious how much interest there is. So I’ve definitely sold out a couple weeks, and then I’ll add more to it.

JB: Well, far be it for me to tell you how to earn an honest dollar, but there’s a strategy in there that if you under deliver the numbers, then you keep people wanting. 

NC: True, yes, yes. 

JB: So keep that in mind. So, every Wednesday we go on your website, we order, and then we pick it up. How convenient is that? That you just—I’ve seen the pictures, you put a sign out on your front porch, “here’s your pickup!” and it’s all at home. You really don’t have to go anywhere. How many hours are you putting in that week to bake all this stuff?

NC: Yeah, I would say… it’s like a solid three day process, I would say. So Wednesday is a day that people pick up, but it starts Monday. Monday is my dough day, where I’m prepping all the dough. And I mean, it’s a solid probably four or five hours in the morning. You kind of let your dough rise all day, and then in the evening is when you’re shaping it, which takes, you know, kind of multiple hours. The next day is normally like my bakery items, like cookies, if I’m doing cinnamon rolls, something like that. That’s kind of what I’m prepping on Tuesday, which isn’t as much time, that’s maybe a couple hours. And then Wednesday, I mean, I am… I normally get up at like 4 a.m, and then the oven is on, going until 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. when pickups are coming.

JB: If you don’t mind me asking, you mentioned you have children. How old are they?

NC: Yeah, I have a nine-year-old, an almost seven-year-old, and then a three-year-old.

JB: Sounds like you’ve got two assistants. Do they help you?

NC: (laughing) Well, my oldest is definitely my food critic. He is such a foodie, and I love it. So anytime I’m trying new things, he is right there, ready to try it out and give me his opinion, 1 out of 10. (laughing)

JB: That’s good, that’s good. Good help to have. So then, pick up happens in the afternoon on that next Wednesday? Wow. Wow. So you’ve kind of created this perfect storm of, I bake in my house, I’m here with my kids, and everybody comes to me to pick it up. Have you given any thought down the road–and I understand completely that you just got going here, and there’s a world of possibilities if you decide to pursue them, but have you given any thought to the farmers markets?

NC: Absolutely, absolutely I have. I’ve looked into it, kind of just how that all works. And, you know, I had to get some logistic things done. I’m an LLC, I had to get my business license through Bluffton, so I had all that figured out. And yeah, that’s definitely something that is on the forefront of my mind. I’m just trying to figure out a timeline when, because it’s like, I want to make sure I have a good basis of customers and I get the flow going well, and really kind of perfect what I’m doing now, and then maybe add to it. Yeah, but that is definitely something I would love to do for sure.

JB: I look forward to seeing you there. The Bluffton Farmers Market, if you’re able to hook up there, is probably the best one in the region for a lot of reasons. I’m sure you’ve visited. 

NC: Yeah, yeah. It’s awesome.

JB: Yeah, yeah, it is really-I tell people-I live here in Savannah, I tell people all the time, hey, if you got a free Thursday afternoon, you need to go over there, because it’s really, really cool how they do everything over there. Okay, so where do we find you?

NC: So, I have an Instagram page which is @seaside.sourdough and then Facebook as well, same thing. And that’s mainly where I’m putting out my flavors every week, kind of just keeping you up to date with what’s going on, what I’m selling. Otherwise to actually purchase, you can go to www.seasidesourdoughco.com and that’ll redirect you to the hot plate which is where you actually order the bread. 

JB: Gotcha. Gotcha. Yeah, I tell people all the time, I get emails, “well, I don’t do Instagram.” Well, you know what, Jerry? Find somebody who does, because that’s the world, and that’s where the information is, and figure it out. 

NC: Yes, absolutely. (laughing)

JB: So, Instagram, Facebook, you can order online every single Wednesday morning, pick up the next Wednesday. Last question, on average every week, how many different items can someone order?

NC: Yeah, I would say I’m doing, every week, about four different bread flavors. I’m looking to add five. And then I always do a separate item, whether that’s cookies, sourdough bites, cinnamon rolls, or bagels. So, always four different bread flavors, and I try and swap out that fifth item as something different every week. And I also do want to mention, have you heard of Downtown Deli?

JB: Of course!

NC: So, the owner has reached out to me, and we are in talks right now, but he would love to open up a pickup location there for my customers, which would be really nice because I know I have people coming from Hilton Head, and that would be like half the distance for them to pick up. And we’re also looking at incorporating my bread in Downtown Deli, and also he has Magnolia Cafe in Beaufort. But we’re in the very early stages of it, we’re trying to figure out, you know, logistics and stuff, but that’s something that’s really exciting, and we’re trying to figure something out. So you might be able to see my bread there too.

JB: Very good. Very good. Hopefully that will work out, and I have no trouble believing that if, for whatever reason that doesn’t work out, we’ll end up being able to pick up at some other business another time. Not to poo poo that opportunity, but you said yourself it’s in its early stages, so I hope it all works out. But yeah, I’ve been enamored with the visuals that you’re putting out there. I put the phone up to my nose and try to smell it, oh my goodness, I told you a few minutes ago, I’m a complete sucker for good sourdough. And that just looks so… oh man, I need to order that. I probably—being honest, I have a friend who tried your stuff already, that’s how… I can’t be everywhere eating everything. “Hey, try this.” And so, we checked you out, and you passed the test.

NC: No way! That’s awesome.

JB: But I’m like, I gotta get over there and try it! But I live, as I told you, in Savannah, and so it’s not always easy for me. But that’s okay, good problems to have. Too much food to eat, I can’t get everywhere!

NC: (laughing) I believe it.

JB: Alright, well, Natalyn, thank you for taking a few minutes to chat with us. Her entity is Seaside Sourdough. You can find her at, what was it, seasidesourdough.co?

NC: @seaside.sourdough

JB: @seaside.sourdough, very good. Order every Wednesday, pick up the next Wednesday afternoon, and you will eat it and like it. Thanks so much for taking a few minutes. We’ll see you down the road.

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