Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Horton.
Hi Heather , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Owning a restaurant was never part of our plan. Sometimes your path just chooses you instead of the other way around. The decision to open TOAST came out of a mix of necessity (needing to grow our current business) and a real craving for quality food — something we wanted to see more of right here in Pittsburg. We like to travel and eat our way through other towns. We wanted to bring a bigger city vibe with local, fresh ingredients to the heart of Downtown and I think we have accomplished that.
We both had our doubts at first. I come from a long line of family-run small businesses, so I knew exactly how much hard work and sacrifice it would take to get the restaurant up and going and continue to keep it thriving. But it just made sense if we wanted to grow and keep doing what we love. TOAST became the natural outlet for my culinary creativity and Roger’s passion for bread. Together, we’ve created a space where we can bring both of those talents to life — putting out honest, consistent food in a fun, community-centered atmosphere.
Just 10 years after opening our first business Sweet Designs Cakery (established 2009), the opportunity came up at the Pittsburg State University Block 22 project for us to expand our offerings, it felt like the right fit. The collaborative environment and the energy of Block 22 pulled us in. We opened TOAST in 2019, inside a beautifully restored historic building a block away from our bakery, just months before the pandemic hit rural America. Like everyone else, we had to pivot fast. Bread became essential, so we started selling loaves from Pittsburg Bread Company curbside along with pre-order lunches and baked goods, and it just took off from there. Shortly after opening the doors for a second time after the pandemic at Toast, we made the decision to discontinue offering custom cakes and desserts to the public and put all of our focus on Pittsburg Bread Company & Toast. It’s now been 6 years and we know we made the right choice for us, the community and the business.
We’ve always prided ourselves on sourcing locally. The restaurant has opened new pathways for our efforts. We can proudly say 80% of our ingredients come from Kansas farmers, growers and producers. For us, it’s not just about flavor — it’s about knowing where our food comes from and supporting the people behind it- strengthening food systems one bite at a time.
The craft and sourcing doesn’t stop at the restaurant. Pittsburg Bread Company allows us to serve the wider community—retail, markets, other outlets. All of the flour used at Pitt Bread Co. is grown and milled right here in Kansas. By 2026 we will be milling our own Southeast Kansas grown wheat and selling our breads in surrounding small towns as well as adding more value added products to our robust Kansas centered line of retail items.
Today we’re simply continuing to expand that network of local farms, flour, bread, restaurant, and community. It hasn’t been about an exact blueprint but about responding to where opportunity met our values and doing something real in our town.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth? Not even close — but it’s been worth every bump.
We opened TOAST in 2019, just months before the pandemic hit. Talk about timing. Overnight, we went from serving a packed dining room with a line out the door/hosting a fun Tiki Party complete with karaoke to figuring out how to keep the lights on. Like so many small businesses, we had to reinvent ourselves almost instantly. Bread & pre-ordered box lunches became our lifeline — Pittsburg Bread Company went curbside, and that pivot helped us survive.
Since then, the challenges haven’t really stopped — staffing shortages, rising costs (have you been tracking your groceries…yikes), supply chain issues — you name it, we’ve faced it. But those moments forced us to get creative and lean into what makes us different. We doubled down on local sourcing, community connections, and consistency.
Running a small business in a rural area means you’re constantly balancing passion with practicality. We are no strangers to swimming against the stream. Our concept, and food are unique to this area. With that comes it’s own challenges but once those hurdles are jumped- the end result yields stronger bonds to the community and deeper roots. Those roots helped us weather the storm.
We’ve learned to stay flexible, listen to our instincts, and keep showing up — even when the road gets rough. We have an amazing support system for our guests, family and friends. The truth is, that’s what makes it all meaningful.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
At our core, we make real food from real ingredients — and we do it with intention. TOAST is our restaurant in downtown Pittsburg, where we focus on scratch cooking, seasonal menus, and sourcing from Kansas farms. Pittsburg Bread Company is our bakery arm — where Roger bakes naturally leavened sourdough and rustic breads using Kansas-grown, regeneratively farmed wheat. Together, they feed into each other — the restaurant showcases the bread, and the bread represents everything we believe in: good food, local sourcing, and community.
We’re probably best known for doing things the hard way — in a good way. We ferment, we roast, we make things from scratch when it would be easier not to. That’s part of what sets us apart. Our ingredients don’t come off a truck from three states away; they come from farmers and makers we actually know. Right now, about 80% of what we use is sourced locally, and that’s something we’re really proud of.
What we’re most proud of, though, is how much heart is in it — not just ours, but the community’s. Every loaf, every dish, every local ingredient tells a story about collaboration and care. We’ve managed to build something that feels bigger than just a restaurant or a bakery. It’s a reminder that you can create something meaningful — even in a small town — when you lead with integrity and connection.
But what really defines us is how we use food as a way to give back.
Our Spread the Loaf community bread share program allows customers to purchase a loaf of bread to be donated to local food pantries — all bread made from Kansas wheat and baked with the same care as every loaf we sell.
Our Spice Library collaboration with the Pittsburg Public Library makes unique herbs and spices, along with a recipe, accessible to home cooks, because everyone deserves flavor, no matter their budget.
And our Chef in Training program helps develop young kitchen talent — giving them real culinary experience and confidence in a professional kitchen setting.
We host programming through our Food For Thought series that focuses on food history, sharing techniques for food preservation (like canning), tastings (trying new products) and fun gatherings centered around growing your own ingredients & sharing recipes (seed swaps, cookie swaps, etc). Our Food for Thought programming helps us build community around culinary.
We’re proud of the food, but we’re even prouder of the impact. What started as a restaurant and a bakery has become a way to build relationships, teach skills, and strengthen the local food system from the ground up. That’s what truly sets us apart and drives our passion.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Finding mentors and building a network isn’t about chasing titles — it’s about finding people who share your values. We’ve learned that the best connections come from genuine curiosity and mutual respect, not formal introductions.Over the last 20 years we’ve been cultivating relationships with the community without ever knowing we were going to open a restaurant. Those people have become the best customers and they support us in any endeavor we set out to do.
We’ve been lucky to have mentors who’ve guided us through everything from running a business to navigating community relationships. We were lucky to have people from the Kansas Small Business Development center who believed in what we were doing and weren’t afraid to tell us the truth when we needed to hear it. They guided us into directions we ourselves didn’t even know we were capable of at the time. Having that support system meant we could make big decisions and feel good about them having our backs.
Our advice? Be teachable. Ask questions. Don’t wait for the perfect mentor to appear — learn from everyone around you. And when you get the chance, be that person for someone else. That’s really how communities grow — not through networking events, but through genuine connections and shared purpose. I currently offer business mentorship through the Rural Community Partners Program as well as making myself available whenever the SBDC has someone in food service who may have questions. My in-box is always open. In 2026 Roger will be offering bread baking classes. I will be offering culinary classes as well. We will have a small incubator kitchen space available for rent to anyone wanting to dip their toes into food manufacturing/food service complete with a mentoring component from both of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.toastinpitt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toastinpitt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toastinpitt
