“It’s long past the time when we were willing to accept sawdust as the thing we should eat.”
Oliver Pinder of Wild Rise Bakery flashes a smile as he says this, twisting and turning bagels on a counter inside Oasis Community Kitchen in Homewood, the commercialized, steel-wrapped kitchen warmed by his friendly laugh.
It’s a workday, and Oliver and his teammate, Olivia Ames, are cheerfully chatting as they roll tray after tray of bagels. Across from their workspace are bowls holding rising dough, some tinted yellow with turmeric, others speckled with whole grains. Ovens are packed with trays of artfully-scored bread loaves, wafting the pleasantly-acidic flavors of sourdough. A corner rack holds evidence of their morning bakes, batches of perfectly-round cookies and golden-brown hand pies stacked neatly to cool.
But even as he laughs and chats, it’s clear that Oliver means what he says: as a gluten-intolerant eater, he has experienced far too many dry, sawdust-like baked goods. That’s why he created Wild Rise Bakery, to give Pittsburghers gluten-free goods that were actually good.
Oliver grew up watching his mother in the kitchen and has since attended culinary school in South Africa, completed his Food Studies Masters at Chatham University, and billed experience at some of the city’s best restaurants. (Notably, Legume and Pie for Breakfast.)
When he moved to Pittsburgh from Brooklyn in 2017, Oliver began to work on his sourdough sandwich loaf “earnestly.”
“[At that time], good gluten-free was hard to come by in Pittsburgh. There’s been a lot of growth since we started,” Oliver said. “Before Wild Rise was up and running, there was Gluten Free Goat… they were sort of like a standard for gluten-free stuff in Pittsburgh. [Since then], so many small businesses have opened up.”
Oliver landed his first wholesale gig after giving samples to Pear and the Pickle in Troy Hill, where he said the food was great, but told the owners, “you need better gluten-free bread.”
Every Wild Rise product is gluten-free, using proprietary blends of flour that focus on whole grains like sorghum, brown rice, buckwheat, oat, and flaxseed meal. Among his offerings to Harvie members are cookies and — a member favorite — Buckwheat Brownies, coveted for their rich, dark chocolate and nutty buckwheat flavors.
“It’s amazing to see… Harvie in the space where Penn’s Corner used to be, knowing the work [Harvie] does and how it’s so important for farmers,” Oliver said.
In addition to Harvie, Wild Rise provides gluten-free baked goods to a handful of other restaurants and food trucks — including Harvie producer Farmer x Baker — and East End Co-Op. Even as the wholesale operation continues to grow, Oliver isn’t looking to turn Wild Rise into a full-fledged bakery. “Bakeries incur so much waste, and ingredients are so expensive… especially with the pandemic. I can’t justify that much waste,” he explained.
But even as the wholesale operation continues to grow, Oliver isn’t looking to turn Wild Rise into a full-fledged bakery. “Bakeries incur so much waste, and ingredients are so expensive… especially with the pandemic. I can’t justify that much waste,” he explains.
“There’s so much more reach,” Oliver says, touching on Harvie’s wholesale-friendly model. “I like telling people in the industry, ‘You should start to sell with Harvie it’s a great way for you to do wholesale!”
If Wild Rise does move into a retail space, Oliver hopes to run a collaborative operation, like a books and bread shop.
Add a package (or two) of Oliver’s cookies and brownies — both of which are even better with a little ice cream — to your next Harvie box!
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