Rising Stars: Meet Heather Horton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Horton.

Hi Heather, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Oh gosh, where to start? I have a BFA in Commercial Art and an MA from Pittsburg State University. I opened Sweet Designs Cakery in 2009 in Downtown Pittsburg KS. At the time we lived just a few blocks off Broadway but fell in love with the charm of Downtown. So when we were searching for a location we knew it had to be within walking distance of The Colonial Fox Theatre (a project we are passionate about) and on Broadway, in the heart of Pittsburg. We found our little building and fell in love. We renovated and moved in upstairs and downstairs was the Cakery. Just like the old mom & pop shops used to be. After the first year of business, we were so busy I needed help so my husband (now the current baker) came to work with me full-time. He does a bit of everything like finances, maintenance, and baking! He’s amazing. I taught him everything I know but now his skills surpass mine. He taught himself how to bake artisan bread and other pastries over the years. During the last few years while at the Cakery I started teaching Culinary Arts classes through our local Community College, FSCC. At that time I also began offering a couple of pop-up lunch options at the bakery using locally sourced, freshly prepared food highlighting Roger’s artisan bread just to try it out and see what people thought.

The lunches were a hit so I kept making them along with other specialties like our famous Beet Hummus and Lemon Vinaigrette. I did this, kept teaching, and helped run the Cakery all simultaneously. When the time came to discuss the future of Cakery, we knew in order to grow, we needed to expand. What we didn’t realize by starting lunches and teaching we were already building a loyal following. So, as we did throughout the years, we went to the Small Business Development Center at PSU. They really helped us put our thoughts and ideas down on paper. They also helped us crunch numbers to see what was a viable plan moving forward. Dacia Clark & Randy Robinson sat us down and asked all the hard questions. By the end of several meetings with them, we had decided the best way to move forward was to combine my love of the Culinary Arts with Roger’s Bread. We decided to jump on board with a renovation project happening a block away from our current business called Block 22. That’s when TOAST was born! The perfect combination of my love for culinary arts & Roger’s knack for baking.

We opened in October 2019 (just 10 years after opening Sweet Designs Cakery) in Downtown Pittsburg just half a block away from the bakery. Roger stayed at the bakery and ran it along with Erika (our head decorator) and I went over to TOAST full-time to manage it. The two businesses work together to this day.

We had SDC for over 12 years. We enjoyed creating one-of-a-kind desserts for customers’ special occasions but when Covid hit, we had to pivot and make changes in a major way. Covid really shed light on the fact that no matter how much heart you put into a business, it’s just not essential when the world comes to a halt. Birthdays, weddings, and celebrations were just not important (for obvious reasons) so we made a huge pivot and started offering our artisan bread to the public for sale curbside. Just months after opening our doors at TOAST we had to close them due to regulations during the pandemic. Lots of sleepless nights and tears, along with big life-changing decisions resulted in us doing what we knew how to do…adapt.

We went back to serving pop-up-style lunches curbside (this time at TOAST) as well as introducing Artisan Bread to Pittsburg. Before Roger was baking just for the restaurant, not selling his baked goods retail. We stocked up our Toast Market with dressings, spreads, marinades, and whatever other homemade goodness we were working on at the time and sold it every week curbside alongside the breads. We were never quarantined and just kept working throughout to keep the lights on. Thankfully with assistance from the state and local government we made it through the pandemic. We re-opened our doors but the Toast market & artisan bread stuck around. We found that it was a much-needed, essential product that Pittsburg was missing. So with the growth of TOAST & the Bread side of the business, it was time to say goodbye to the custom order side of the Cakery. About a year ago we delivered our very last wedding cake to my sister in Portland Oregon, wrapped up any custom cookies & cupcake orders, and haven’t looked back! Now the bakery is focusing on wholesale items to TOAST and introducing the Pittsburg Bread Co. brand to the community. We will forever be grateful for all the love and support we had over the years at the Cakery but we are so thrilled to see what we can do with our new vision. TOAST remains a steady, thriving restaurant in our ever-growing town of Pittsburg and we could not be prouder.

We are currently doing a little facelift to the bakery. It will remain closed to walk-in traffic but TOAST is open and the bakery case is full of tasty desserts & other items that go perfectly with our Pittsburg Bread Co. artisan bread. TOAST is open for lunch & dinner. On weekends we host fun events like Comedy Nights, Drag Brunches, Burlesque, Toast & Tarot, Game Nights, Tea Parties & more. Both businesses remain in the Pittsburg Arts District and we’re excited to see what is to come in the future.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Lol, well, I think I touched on this during my previous answer. In some ways, I think it was really difficult opening a new business right before a worldwide pandemic but in other ways, I was grateful that things were new and fresh. In a way, we got to do two major openings. So anything that wasn’t working previously we was able to analyze and adjust before reopening. We chose to see that as an advantage.

The restaurant industry as a whole took a major hit. I feel like we were able to evaluate both businesses, make changes and come out on the other side much stronger than before. Without the support from our customers, employees, and local government I’m not sure we would have made it.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I chose “other” because I feel like I encompass all of the options when it comes to my professional life and career. I’m an entrepreneur who also happens to be an artist/creative & teacher. I feel like that’s why I’ve always been drawn to owning my own business. There’s something magical about starting from scratch and growing an idea into a full-blown thriving business. I’ve never wanted to be put into a “box” or one lane. My parents have always supported me in whatever I chose to do in life. So growing up, when it was time to go out into “the real world” I chose to create my own world. Now I have the privilege to work side by side with other creatives on a daily basis and hopefully make an impact in their lives.

Over half of the employees at TOAST are artists. Either going to school or working artist. I also get to mentor/teach students through various different programs like LAUNCH, a Pittsburg Highschool program, and Greenbush Culinary Arts. My personal artistic talents come out in the menu & special dishes. I also still love to draw and paint. Even though TOAST is a restaurant I see it as so much more.

We showcase our employee’s talents by displaying their work on the walls, selling it for them during local events like Pittsburg ArtWalk, and just trying to support and promote the arts in our town. We know what makes a vibrant city successful. It’s the people and the art!

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are always looking to work with other educational groups & local farmers/makers. A restaurant can provide opportunities in any field. Each day we not only shine in hospitality, but we also touch on marketing, finances, economics, sociology, agriculture, and more. We’ve collaborated with high school art students on art installations and we’ve had Culinary students job shadow. We’ve even done social media projects with aspiring PR students.

We can serve up a delicious, locally sourced meal with a side of on-the-job, real-world experience teaching. Folks wanting to support us can dine with us! Dine in, share our story, share our social media posts and just help spread the word about us. Do you produce a Kansas product? We’d love to hear from you. We’re always growing the Toast Market and love highlighting products grown and produced in Kansas. Local is our jam.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toastinpitt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toastinpitt

Image Credits
Brett Dalton, Andra Stefanoni, West Star Photography, Seth Potter, and Pat Jones