Entrepreneurship sweets Food+Drink
SWEET & SAFE: Get Baked Brings Celiac-Friendly Goods to the Chippewa Valley
after a life-changing diagnosis in her family, local Jordan Plehal has reimagined holiday classics with her cottage bakery
A celiac disease diagnosis — a hypersensitive gluten allergy — can transform the once carefree and joyful family meals, holidays, baking and social gatherings for individuals and their families. When Bloomer resident Jordan Plehal experienced these realities with her children, she took matters into her own hands and created a sweeter outcome for her family.
In 2024, Get Baked, LLC was born: Plehal’s cottage bakery specializes in gluten-free, celiac safe treats — all made with love in her kitchen.
“I started Get Baked to offer more options to kids who may have dietary restrictions,” Plehal said. “Because I do have a family member with celiac, I am able to guarantee that I am baking out of a gluten free, celiac safe kitchen.”
As the holiday season approaches, Get Baked offers customizable and ready-to-order allergen-sensitive goods including gingerbread house kits, Christmas cookie boxes, and do-it-yourself sugar cookie kits.
Oatmeal cream pies, monster cookies, chocolate chip cookies and frosted animal crackers are other year-round favorites customers continue to come back for, she said.
Plehal remembers her very first pop-up under the Get Baked moniker, at Whirlybird Coffee Co. (2829 Co Hwy I, Chippewa Falls). Despite not knowing the outcome of her new business venture, she was welcomed with an outpouring of support from both coffee shop regulars and new customers alike.
“I wasn’t sure how my business would be received or if it was even wanted in our area,” Plehal shared. “The support in the last year has been nothing short of amazing — not only from families with young kids, but from people of all ages.”
Since diving into the pop-up market scene in the Chippewa Valley, Get Baked has continued to appear at Whirlybird Coffee Co. as well as Rise & Shine in Cornell, the Cadott Farmers Market, Forage and The Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire, among many other locations in the region.
“I tend to jump around for markets to be more accessible. I also offer porch pickups in Bloomer — as that is where I live — and occasionally am able to offer a meet up location in Eau Claire for meet ups as well,” Plehal added.
Last holiday season, Plehal found joy in the exchange of heartwarming stories and gaining feedback from area customers in real time, she said. She recalled a mother and her college-aged daughter who purchased one of Get Baked Gluten Free’s do-it-yourself cookie kits and shared how they spent the whole night laughing about what creative cookies they had each made.
“I truly melted right there; that encompasses why I do what I do,” Plehal said. “The holidays are stressful enough. I try to offer a variety of items that may meet your gluten-free needs, or at the very least, help you make holiday memories.”
Through November and December, Get Baked will pop-up at the Wisconsin Farmers Union headquarters, Market on River (128 W. River St., Chippewa Falls), and the Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds for the Chippewa Valley Bee Expo's Christmas Market.
Looking toward the new year, Plehal will bring her confections to Down to Earth Garden Center (6025 Arndt Lane, Eau Claire).
Uplifted by a wave of community support in its inaugural year, Get Baked — a recipient of this year's Red Letter Grant awards in the Chippewa Valley — will continue to honor the timeless memories made with family and friends over cherished confections.
“I find such joy in getting to be part of all their big and small moments and in helping them to create lasting memories through my baked goods,” Plehal said. “Having my kids in the kitchen with me became our family time, trying new recipes together and seeing that we succeeded was something we started to celebrate.”
Keep up with Get Baked, LLC on Facebook to see its menus, pop-up market schedules and more photos of its seasonal offerings. Visit the Get Baked webpage online for announcements on when new cookies and baked goods drop.
