Sourdough Kneaders
By Tracey Moro
There’s an obsession going on with sourdough bread and many in Macomb County have joined in. Some are choosing the ancient bread for its taste, others for its nutritional value and then there are those who are kneading and feeding their starter just like their grandmothers used to do years ago.
Sourdough is considered to be healthier because it has a lower glycemic index, it’s more digestible and has a higher nutrient absorption when compared to white bread. The fermentation acts as a probiotic supporting healthy gut microbiome.
The process of feeding the starter can be labor intensive but therapeutic and one can experiment with different recipes. And it’s just good. Driven by the complex, tangy flavor, the nutritional benefits and the creative process of cultivating the starter, the sourdough infatuation is very real for five ladies in Macomb County. It’s become more than just a hobby.
It’s a passion-fueled side hustle bringing in extra income and lots of therapeutic benefits. And all of us get to benefit too, filling our tummies with really good, and good-for-you breads, cookies and more. You can find our five bakers on social media, within their local communities and at the local Farmers Markets.
Meet Silvana Grainger
She’s a mortgage lead funder during the day and a sourdough kneader in her spare time. Living in Macomb Township with her husband, Michael, and two out of three children, Silvana Grainger sells everything sourdough under the name – Silvana’s Nest and Knead Kitchen. She began in late summer of 2024 and hasn’t looked back.
“Like so many others, I was scrolling TikTok when sourdough baking began popping up everywhere. I was intrigued and decided to give it a try — even though I wasn’t a baker at all. To my surprise, my very first loaf turned out great! From there, I was hooked,” said Silvana Grainger. She then began experimenting with recipes and techniques until a full-blown addiction ensued.
After sharing her bread with family and friends, she finally created a Facebook business page and started taking orders. By spring of 2025 she was doing porch pick ups. “After a few weeks, my husband built me the cutest porch stand on wheels — I absolutely love it! Almost every summer weekend, (unless I was at the farmers market) I’d roll it down to the end of the driveway, and that’s when things really took off.”
Grainger loves what she does and doesn’t see it as a second job, claiming “It’s therapeutic for me, and the kind words and support from my customers make it even more rewarding.”
She makes all kinds of breads, bagels, chocolate chips cookies, focaccia, granola, muffins and mini cakes, plus cinnamon rolls. As a cottage baker, she has to follow restrictions. “I can’t sell anything that needs to be refrigerated. So for example, if I’m making cinnamon rolls, my frosting can’t have cream cheese, so I have to change it up,” said Grainger whose menu varies weekly but she consistently is making bread. “No less than 20 (bread loaves) on a bad week and I could make up to 50.”
Silvana’s Nest & Knead Kitchen
Macomb Township
Facebook/Instagram: hotplate.com
Meet Ashly Goike
She stays home all day but she is busy. She homeschools her five children and she bakes sourdough bread, bagels, cookies and cinnamon rolls under the name The Goike Table.
Married to her husband of 17 years, they live in Clinton Township with their five children, including one set of twins. She has made sourdough a part of her life and doesn’t really know what it is that hooked her. “I’m not so sure. It’s dusty, sticky, frustrating at times, and usually 460 degrees blasting me in the face. BUT what I do love about sourdough is taking the lid off each loaf and seeing that beautiful bread. Having my customers message me to say how much they love their breads. And the most rewarding part is meeting the amazing people in my community. I have made so many wonderful friends,” said Ashly Goike.
Goike doesn’t think her baking is an addiction? “Maybe not the best word to describe it… it’s become a part of life. Tuesday and Wednesdays I wake up and start the oven. I finish my days in the best way… chatting with my customers, sharing a coffee, or a hug. Maybe I am addicted to this community/sourdough family?”
Her cottage company, The Goike Table, is a family business with everyone involved, and it all started on a table. “My husband and I built a 10 1/2 foot table with my stepdad to fit our large family. We gather around this table every evening for dinner. My children do school work here, we have large family gatherings and fill every chair. This is where we live life. It’s where I fill all their bellies. It’s where we have long chats and pray together,” said Goike, who also explained how the family gets involved.
“My husband is the bagel dough maker. The kids each have their own little part. Ryan keeps us clean by doing up all the dishes. Sofia does the staging. She is the pretty handwriting you see on every bag and she keeps me loaded with supplies. Lilly is my bagel boiler and baker. Molly bakes the cookies. I don’t know why I never bake them as well as she does! And, Layla weighs all the bagel dough. She is usually the life of the party or morning.”
Every week is different for Goike and her family, some really busy and others slower. Her average week includes about 30 to 50 loaves, 100 bagels and a few dozen cookies and cinnamon rolls. “The Goike Table is about family, community, bread, and a lot of love and laughter, and maybe a few tears. It’s never a dull moment in my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.” she said.
The Goike Table
Clinton Township
Facebook
Meet Paula Jaworowski
Living with her son and husband of 25 years in Sterling Heights, she is a registered nurse working for a healthcare insurance company training other nurses. In 2018 she started a company producing microgreens so her background was perfect for expanding to sourdough bread baking.
In 2022 one of her friends made a loaf of sourdough bread which motivated her to learn the process. “I found a mentor online and two men reached out and together they taught me,” said Paula Jaworowski. Through videos, and chatting she slowly improved until 2023 when she decided
to venture on her own. She takes it the extra step too, with using regenerative grains and a 130-year-old wild yeast starter. Today, her company includes breads, and many of the loaves include cold press juices, giving a marbled coloring inside. “The colorings don’t give a different taste, but they have wonderful color and texture,” she says. She uses all-natural ingredients and also offers rolls, cookies, focaccia and pretzels.
Find Jaworowski on Facebook with her Down to Earth-Artisan Heritage Sourdough page. She posts her weekly menu and explains how to order and pick up. She posts beautiful, looking breads, taking great time to get just the right angle, lighting and setting. She even comes up with lunch and dinner ideas – such as this one posted with a delicious-looking photo: Toast a thick slice of sourdough, add a smashed avocado and a squeeze of lime. Top with sliced radishes and your own homegrown sunflower microgreens.
You can also find Jaworowski and her bread at local breweries. “I became a regular at Kuhnhenn Brewery in Warren and gave some of the staff my bread. They offered for me to sell at the brewery,” said Jaworowski. She was also recently featured on Fox 2 News with Stumblebum Brewery and their Valentine’s Market event that she participated in.
Down to Earth – Artisan Heritage Sourdough
Sterling Heights
Facebook
Meet Donna Marable,
who runs Sourdough Side Hustle. Only, it’s not a side hustle for her – it’s a full-time gig.
Marable grew up in St. Clair Shores and has lived there except for a brief stint years ago. Although she’s been baking from scratch for well over 30 years, her sourdough baking days only started a few years ago when her children were having a hard time digesting bread. “I started baking long fermented sourdough products to help my gluten intolerant children digest bread,” said Donna Marable who now bakes anywhere from 40 to 120 sourdough products a week in her micro home bakery in St. Clair Shores.
She taught herself with the help of her years of baking from scratch experience and currently everything she sells is sourdough-based from breads to desserts. Inspired by ancient artisan sourdough. Donna was drawn to the fermentation process, which significantly breaks down gluten, making it easier to digest. Plus, she knew sourdough cultures provide various health benefits, including improved digestion, blood sugar control, and heart health. “I am self-taught baker, I love reading and researching new recipes and have enjoyed learning the science behind sourdough, along with the amazing health benefits it provides,” said Marable. Although her foods are not labeled gluten free, the process by which they are baked makes them easier to be digested.
Marable isn’t alone in her endeavor though, Donna’s husband provides lots of support and “he is always encouraging and willing to help in any way he can,” said Marable, while adding “I also teach him and my daughter how to bake along the way, as well. And, I do have many friends that have helped as well with farmers markets.”
Her three children, now grown (with one granddaughter) and her sister often help with packaging. “I am very fortunate they all support me and enjoy packaging,” said Donna who claims she maintains and built her webpage and is responsible for all the graphics and advertising on social media. “I enjoy doing the marketing just as much as the baking.”
You can find Marable at three different farmers markets and she takes orders on her website, selling out of her home on a weekly basis. “I will be at the first St. Clair Shores Farmers Market May 17, Harvest Day at The Ford House in Grosse Pointe Sept. 26 and Oct. 11 at the St. Clair Shores Pumpkin Patch Farmers Market,” said Marable.
Sourdough Side Hustle
St. Clair Shores
Facebook
Farmers Markets
Meet Lacey Carnecki,
who lives in Clinton Township with her husband and children, who are all part of their business Flour Shop. She and her husband grew up in New Baltimore.
In 2022 Carnecki began making sourdough bread as a better way to care for her family. “My husband and I have four children, and we wanted a healthier, more nourishing alternative to the conventional bread you find in the grocery store. I challenged myself to make something more intentional and with real ingredients. Once I got it down, sourdough bread became a staple in our home, and I fell in love with the process. It became a way to slow down, connect and be mindful of what we were putting into our bodies,” said Lacey Carnecki, who was also diagnosed with Celiac Disease, pushing her to dive headfirst into gluten- free baking. “That challenge pushed me to expand my skills even further and allowed me to serve a community that is often overlooked.”
Carnecki also had some inspiration from her grandma. “I’ve always had a passion for creating things with my own hands, whether that’s sewing and crafting or cooking and baking. I grew up watching my grandma do all of these things and her example is what first inspired me.”
At Flour Shop they sell organic sourdough and gluten-free baked goods. Including bread, bagels, English muffins, focaccia, cookies, muffins and more. Customers can pickup from their home in Clinton Township, get deliveries, or find them at the New Baltimore Farmers Market May through October.
But Carnecki is not alone in her efforts in Flour Shop. “My husband works alongside me full time, and our kids have grown up watching this dream come to life from our home kitchen,” said Carnecki. “This business is very much a family effort, and their support, especially during long bake days and early market mornings, means everything to me.
It’s been incredibly special to build something together that reflects our values.”
What began at their home has grown into a way for the Carneckis to serve the local community. “That’s still at the heart of why we bake today,” said Carnecki. “Baking sourdough has opened doors for my family, introduced me to an incredible community and allowed us to make a living doing what we love most.”
Flour Shop
Clinton Township
New Baltimore Farmer’s Market
The Carneckis and the other four families – selling sourdough – are just a small portion of an even bigger community of crafters that can be found at the local farmers markets throughout Macomb County. These crafters are independent entrepreneurs, chefs and artisans producing small-batch, handmade, fresh goods that are really good, and good for you. Their products enhance the community’s food culture, foster direct connections to the local farmer or baker. “Being involved in the New Baltimore Farmers Market has opened our eyes to how important it is to support local farmers, crafters and bakers. When you shop local, you’re not just buying a product, you’re supporting a family, a dream, and a community” said Carnecki.
