Appalachkey Child: Native baker continues to create culinary perfection, throughout combat with most cancers | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Alisha Hanlin creates a wide range of pastries, together with these danishes. Courtesy photograph

SHEPHERDSTOWN — On Aug. 13, Alisha Hanlin, who beforehand owned Pressed Flour Bakery on German Avenue, held a bake sale as part of a furnishings pop-up store at Evolve Shepherdstown. This was largely resulting from Hanlin’s shut friendship with Jane Tseng, one of many principal faces of Elaa Life Furnishings, which was promoting within the pop-up store. Tseng wished to create an attention-grabbing and dynamic environment for the store, so she determined to ask Hanlin to carry a bake sale on the pop-up.

Although Hanlin was bodily weak, resulting from ongoing most cancers remedies, she was in a position to maintain the bake sale, and rapidly offered out of the baked items she dropped at the store.

After working within the hospitality enterprise for round 17 years, it’s clear that Hanlin is obsessed with meals and the way it brings individuals collectively.

“There’s something highly effective about breaking bread collectively,” Hanlin mentioned. “At any time when individuals collect, there’s typically meals concerned.”

After closing her first brick-and-mortar enterprise, Pressed Flour Bakery, because of the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Hanlin had a tough time. Nonetheless, that have helped her be taught extra about herself and altered her perspective on working with meals.

Hanlin

“I discovered loads from closing,” Hanlin mentioned. “I believe I began to affiliate meals and dealing within the bakery as part of my identification. Stepping away allowed me to alter my relationship with meals. It was heartbreaking on the time, however I’ve discovered to be extra optimistic.”

After she closed her bakery, Hanlin repurposed her previous Instagram account and renamed it “Appalachkey Child.” She wasn’t keen on beginning one other enterprise, however wished to make use of her platform to proceed studying about meals and sharing her experiences, via running a blog and social media. She was fascinated with the anthropology facet of meals and the way it manifested in several cultures all through the world.

“I wished to dive into new stuff,” Hanlin mentioned. “It was a method for me to proceed to discover meals and tradition.”

Hanlin is at present combating terminal Metastatic Lung Most cancers, so she mentioned that almost all of her gross sales from the pop-up store went immediately towards her medical remedy or towards fulfilling her bucket record. By Pressed Flour Bakery and her different native baking ventures, Hanlin has tremendously impacted Shepherdstown and continues to assist create group via her ardour for meals.

In case you are keen on serving to Hanlin, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-alisha-treat-metastatic-lung-cancer.

Appalachkey Child is the brand new title for Alisha Hanlin’s baking enterprise. Courtesy photograph