Allee Steinberg has been baking and gardening since she was a teenager. After 40 years as a dental hygienist, she retired and, as she says, “went to the dark side”–baking and selling sweets. Allee and her husband Al moved from northern Illinois to Chino Valley in 2005. They were on a hiking trip in the Grand Canyon and decided to visit a childhood friend of Al’s in Chino Valley. As soon as they arrived they knew this was where they wanted to retire. Once settled they became regular customers at the farmers market and last year, Allee decided to take her passion for baking to the market.
Allee’s favorite thing to bake is bread. She uses a sourdough culture that she’s had for 30 years! She loves to experiment with fruits and vegetables and usually bakes something special to go with PFM’s vegetable of the week, like eggplant bread and chocolate chile cookies. She uses eggs from her chickens and what she doesn’t grow in her own garden, she purchases from local farmers. Allee also uses a percentage of Hayden Mills flour in each of her baked goods. She’s committed to sourcing as locally as she can.
After each Saturday market, whatever Allee hasn’t sold, she donates to the Chino Valley Senior Center, where they give the baked goods to seniors in need.