Hello! My name is Gavin, and I am the owner and baker of The Baker’s Table of Sun Prairie. The Baker’s Table got its big debut by pure luck after a family member of mine suggested I enter a photo in the “Safe at Home Challenge: Quarantine bake-off” hosted by Channel 3000. “You can nail this,” she told me, and lo-and-behold, she was right. The photograph I submitted was the first of now many homemade key lime pies topped with a spiral of swiss meringue and thin slices of candied limes. The prize for the contest was a $10 gift card for Michael’s Frozen Custard, but the real reward came in the form of numerous calls for orders. In May of this year, armed with nothing more than a small toaster oven and a folding table my husband built for me, I officially launched The Baker’s Table of Sun Prairie, which I ran entirely from my home. 

After about a month of business, I was contacted by Dino Maniaci, Owner of WOOF’S and D’Vino, who asked me if I could make an olive oil cake for his customers at his restaurant. I gave him a Sicilian Olive Oil Cake that he described as having “delicate citrus notes and a rich olive oil flavor.” We gave it a test run, and it was a huge hit! 

It didn’t take long before Dave Heide, owner of Lilliana’s, Charlie’s on Main, and Little John’s reached out to ask about a partnership that would feature my key lime pies on his menu. Growing up on the west side of Madison, I can recall many times when my family and I would all enjoy gumbo, etouffee, and beignets from Lilianna’s, so needless to say, it did not take any real convincing for me to jump on board. With Dave and his Sous-Chef Rachel’s help, I have now been able to move my workspace from the garage to a fully functional kitchen space at Charlie’s on Main. This has allowed me to take on more clients and has even helped connect me to a few local businesses here in Sun Prairie, including Primal Cue Barbecue Catering, Salvatore’s Tomato Pies, and even the West Main Street Farmer’s Market.  

They say that cooks cook to nourish the soul, and that is precisely what I hope to bring to the table with my baking. With everything we as a society are facing right now, my hope is simply to continue to bring a little moment of relief to folks in times where relief seems hard to come by.