Katie Cohoon
Katie was born and raised in Webster Groves. She’s the oldest girl of five siblings and immediately took interest in activities in the kitchen. Her mom and grandmothers taught her how to bake the basics. 

After college, Katie chose a career path in nannying and home management. She worked for 2 families over the next 15 years. This gave her the flexibility to bake and share her treats with family and friends. During this time she was also able to start and grow her own family. She had 3 amazing little boys who get to enjoy her baked food on a daily basis. 

During 2018, Katie’s curiosity for decorating sugar cookies spiked. She took a class in December on the how to’s and quickly fell in love with the process. After experimenting with a recipe and tweaking it to make it her own, she landed the recipe she’s been using since she started her business in July 2019. 

Word of mouth quickly spread and she began selling on Facebook. Over the last 4 years her business has steadily grown and outgrown her home. She is now seeking a storefront to continue to share her treats with the community she  was born and raised in. Procuring a storefront  will give her the capabilities to continue to grow and expand her business and talents.

Lindsey Dreste
Born and raised in the suburbs of St. Louis, Lindsey always had a passion for baking. As a child, she would often spend hours in the kitchen with her grandmother, who taught her how to make the most delicious cookies and baked goods from scratch.

After graduating college, Lindsey decided to take a step back and focus on raising her family, which eventually grew to four awesome kids. Although her family time was priceless, she couldn’t shake off her love for baking. In her free time, she would experiment with new recipes and share her creations with her friends and family.

Lindsey was always known to be an incredible baker and was always encouraged to start her own business but never had the time to do it. As her kids got older, she began to bake more for friend and family occasions and word of mouth began to spread. This was the turning point for Lindsey, as she realized that she could turn her passion for baking into a business.

She started small, selling her baked goods to the few social media contacts that she had.. As her business grew, she decided to convert a spare room in her basement into her office and began to accumulate the supplies and materials to create more complex products..

Lindsey’s home bakery, now known as WG Vanilla Bean, quickly became a local favorite, known for its mouth-watering cookies, cake pops and hot chocolate bombs. Her customers loved the fact that everything was made from scratch using fresh, high-quality ingredients.

Despite the challenges of running a home bakery, such as long hours and balancing work and family life, Lindsey never lost her passion for baking. She continued to experiment with new recipes and techniques, always striving to improve and innovate.

Today, Lindsey’s bakery has become a staple in the community, and her loyal customers can’t get enough of her delicious treats. She has even started offering baking classes and workshops, passing on her knowledge and love of baking to the next generation.

Lindsey’s story is a testament to the power of following your passions and turning your dreams into reality.