WELCOME TO OUR BAKERY
Mack’s Bingo Bakery is a from-scratch bakery that utilizes seasonal fruit & produce to create sweet & savory delicacies representative of our region and what we like to eat. Our bakery serves as a living classroom for our Junior Crew (local Appalachian Youth participating in our program), where they learn culinary skills, as well as food handling and safety through day-to-day production. They also learn time-honored baking techniques from working one-on-one with our bakers, cooks, and chefs.
Our now-famous bakery was the brainchild of one of our Junior Crew, as are many of our enterprise concepts. Inspired by a suggestion from Jonathan D. Lewis of the Jonathan D + Mark C. Lewis Foundation, they helped develop the idea of our first product – our award-winning cinnamon rolls. Our loyal customer base knows to come to us early as our product is baked fresh each morning and is often still warm when they get home. In addition to working with produce grown on our farm, we also source incredible products from local farmers, including some of the country’s best dairy, meats, and fruits.
You can find our sweet and savory treats at the Wardensville Garden Market!
THE MAKING OF MACK’S BINGO BAKERY
VOTED THE BEST BAKERY IN WEST VIRGINIA
The idea for a Bakery came from members of our Junior Crew after Farms Work Wonders President Paul Yandura asked what other opportunities they could imagine would elevate the existing farm stand experience for guests. At the time, the farm stand sold produce grown on the historic Frye Farm property, but the old farmhouse sat unused. Inspiration struck to utilize the space, and renovations to the farmhouse commenced. By early 2017, our starter bakery began serving made-from-scratch baked goods to guests and offering Junior Crew a new living classroom experience.
When discussing signature product ideas, Jonathan Lewis, the angel donor behind Farms Work Wonders, suggested giant cinnamon rolls, mentioning the possibility of seasonal flavors. After much experimentation, the Junior Crew and bakery staff whipped up a version that would become our famous cinnamon roll recipe and our all-time top-selling menu item. They also developed many other recipes that are still in use today. Our Bakery Manager, Jackie Milburn, still remembers when Junior Crew’s first coconut cream pies turned into a science experiment of erupting volcanoes due to mistakenly substituting baking soda for corn starch. Such adventures in baking were celebrated as necessary milestones along the way for anyone learning a new skill.
Toward the end of 2019, we elevated our recipes by focusing on sourcing local ingredients and utilizing more organic produce grown on our farm. We discovered our guests enjoyed eating a rotating variety of menu items based on seasonality and full of local flavors. Junior Crew continue to be involved in each step, from cultivating our fresh produce at Lewis Farm to incorporating those ingredients into seasonal menu items, like our veggie focaccia bread, seasonal galettes, and chocolate zucchini bread.
In 2022 we welcomed a much-needed space upgrade into a full-size, state-of-the-art bakery, nearly doubling the size of our baking space. Shortly after the move, our bakery was awarded the title of West Virginia’s Best Bakery (WV Living, 2022), a coveted title we had worked hard to win.
When the bakery was launched inside the Wardensville Garden Market, it had no name. With the expansion of the culinary department and relocation to our new kitchen space, we now proudly call ourselves Mack’s Bingo Bakery as part of the Mack’s Bingo culinary team.
All enterprises in the Farms Work Wonders family reinvest 100% of their profits back into their youth programming. These include the Wardensville Garden Market, Lewis Farm, Mack’s Bingo Kitchen, Mack’s Bingo Bakery, and Dakota Glass Works.
MEET OUR BAKERY MANAGER: JACKIE MILBURN
Jackie Milburn has spent much of her life organic farming and baking, spending much of her youth crafting from-scratch baked goods with her mother and grandmother. While never in one place for long, her roots are deeply attached to the Appalachian mountain range.
After a few years of visiting the Wardensville area to spend time with friends and working as a cabin caretaker, she was drawn to its natural landscape. Upon seeing the development and renovations of the historic Frye Farm and its farmhouse to a bakery and youth-operated farm, she decided to inquire about a farming job. The only position available then was in the fledgling bakery, which she accepted in the summer of 2017, expecting to be with us for a few months before moving on.
Today, Jackie continues her generational practice of baking delicious from-scratch goods using the highest quality ingredients – most of which are provided by our organic farm (Lewis Farm) and other local + regional farmers. She enjoys sharing her years of experience with the Junior Crew and other staff.
“There are many reasons why my job is rewarding. I get to help my community, work with a team that feels like my family, and empower youth with the knowledge passed down from my years of experience – all while working with my hands and being creative. There is no greater joy than seeing our repeat customers light up as they bite into one of our farm-to-table, from-scratch baked treats.”
MEET OUR BAKERY MANAGER: JACKIE MILBURN
Jackie Milburn has spent much of her life organic farming and baking, spending much of her youth crafting from-scratch baked goods with her mother and grandmother. While never in one place for long, her roots are deeply attached to the Appalachian mountain range.
After a few years of visiting the Wardensville area to spend time with friends and working as a cabin caretaker, she was drawn to its natural landscape. Upon seeing the development and renovations of the historic Frye Farm and its farmhouse to a bakery and youth-operated farm, she decided to inquire about a farming job. The only position available then was in the fledgling bakery, which she accepted in the summer of 2017, expecting to be with us for a few months before moving on.
Today, Jackie continues her generational practice of baking delicious from-scratch goods using the highest quality ingredients – most of which are provided by our organic farm (Lewis Farm) and other local + regional farmers. She enjoys sharing her years of experience with the Junior Crew and other staff.
“There are many reasons why my job is rewarding. I get to help my community, work with a team that feels like my family, and empower youth with the knowledge passed down from my years of experience – all while working with my hands and being creative. There is no greater joy than seeing our repeat customers light up as they bite into one of our farm-to-table, from-scratch baked treats.”
