In 1985, the Peachey family picked up stakes and moved the family farm from Western Kentucky to Statesville, North Carolina for a fresh start. The Amish newcomers arrived just in time for a drought that would last well into the next year. “It was pretty slim pickings for our family,” says Nate Peachey, barely a boy of 10 at the time, and today proud co-owner of the Peachey’s Baking Company, formerly the Amish Baking Company. But Ma Peachey had one or two tricks up her sleeve, including considerable baking prowess passed on from generations of Amish bakers before her. Setting up a bakery in the (unused) four-car garage attached to the farmhouse, the Peachey matriarch began pumping out cinnamon rolls, donuts and, what would become her specialty, sourdough bread. Peachey’s Home Bakery was born. Neighbors caught on quickly, and, soon enough, trucks were coming to the Peachey farm every Saturday to pick up sourdough loaves to stock farmers markets in neighboring cities and local grocery stores all around. Even the kids got involved, all nine of them, which suited Nate just fine. “It was like 10 degrees outside,” he says, and the cows were practically iced over. “I’d much rather be in the bakery eating a warm cinnamon roll in the morning.” The business ran through the
mid-90s, when the family sold the bakery and left the business.

But Nate didn’t stay out of the business for long, moving to Sarasota with sister Sadie and opening the Amish Baking Company in 2007 as a food truck specializing in donuts and pretzels. And while he may not be Amish anymore, he sticks to tradition when it comes to those. “Simple sells,” he says. “That’s what people want—simple but quality. And that’s what our glazed donut is.” Using no mixes, everything is made from scratch, including the glaze. Sourcing whole ingredients locally from Sutters Quality Foods, diners will find zero preservatives and no odd aftertaste from artificial sweeteners. Ma Peachey would be proud, as neighbors took notice yet again and the Amish Baking Company graduated from local treat to national delight, becoming a regular at statewide events and beyond, even garnering a mention in Rolling Stone magazine’s coverage of the Bonnaroo music festival food scene.

Today, Nate pays homage to his roots, rebranding the company as Peachey’s Baking Company. And with his brother buying into the company, it’s more fitting to treat the operation as a family affair. Besides, he says, like “Italian Pizza,” you can’t trademark an Amish donut. Regulars at Phillippi Farmhouse Market in Sarasota and Natural Healing Arts Center in Bradenton, among other locations, check them out on Facebook for weekly schedules.