The Bakery

Front Porch Baking Co. is a grain forward, neighborhood bakery located in Millersville, PA and owned by Kristen Richards. The mission of Front Porch is to provide nourishing breads and pastries to Lancaster County while emphasizing education, sourcing locally throughout our Mid-Atlantic region, and developing lasting relationships with our customers through honest human connection.

Did you know? We are PA Preferred!

“The mission of PA Preferred is to create opportunities for Pennsylvanians to easily identify and purchase locally grown and processed items, which in turn benefits Pennsylvania's farmers, agribusinesses and economy. It is to provide farmers and agribusinesses with a brand identity for the products they grow and produce. It is to assure consumers that when they purchase products with the PA Preferred logo, they are directly supporting Pennsylvania farmers.”

All of our breads are full of locally sourced grains and are naturally leavened—a process which takes a minimum of three days from start to finish, thus allowing time for the development of complex flavors. Our pastries, which are carefully crafted using those same locally-sourced grains, give evidence to our belief that flour can be more than just the backbone of recipes, but flavor too. We hope to illuminate the beauty of whole grains in an intentional, delicious way for you!

The Baker

Growing up I was strongly influenced by my German grandmother, Elsie, who moved to America with my mother and uncle in the late 1950’s. My grandmother taught me the importance of baking, as well as the importance of incorporating baking into everyday life. Instead of the classic American recipes many learn from their grandmothers, Elsie taught me how to bake European recipes (such as stollen, rye breads, pfeffernusse cookies, and more). As I moved from place to place (before returning home to PA in 2003), baking became a way to bring me back to the memories I cherished with her.

My graduation from the PA School of Culinary Arts for Baking and Pastry led to several baking jobs along the East Coast—ranging from a women-owned bakery in Brooklyn, NY, to plating beautiful desserts for a restaurant group in downtown Baltimore. After nine months of commuting to Maryland, I realized that Lancaster, PA, was where I needed to be. As I grew roots in Lancaster, my career began to flourish when I became Pastry Chef at The Pressroom Restaurant and Bar in 2015. During my time at the Pressroom, I not only created a bread and dessert program from the ground up, but also grew and developed a core team of bakers who would help open Bakehouse on King in late 2018.

As time went on, however, I realized that baking behind-the-scenes in someone else’s kitchen was no longer enough for me. I wanted to bake from the heart and use my voice to impact my community through my own bakery. So, over the past few years, I sought to further my professional development in a variety of ways—all with the goal of learning how to better apply myself within the Lancaster community. I attended a three-day workshop in Marshall, NC, where I learned to bake wood-fired bread at Smoke Signals (now Walnut Schoolhouse). I also completed the Women’s Business Circle through ASSETS, a Women in Leadership course through E-Cornell, and a management course through the Treer Group.

In July 2019, after attending the Kneading Conference in Skowhegan, Maine, I knew I was ready to reach out to the community through my new passion for baking solely with regional grains. That is why I created Front Porch Baking Co.—to use baked goods to showcase not only what grains can do for flavor, but for the local community and the regenerative agriculture of Pennsylvania’s beautiful farmland. As I continue my journey as a one-woman baker and business owner, it’s my dream to create a long-lasting connection from farmer, to miller, to baker, to consumer. I am committed to starting and continuing that conversation here as I expand my reach into the community of Lancaster.

MY commitment

You are welcome here! Hate is not!

I believe in building a business that is inclusive of all walks of life. Having a platform is a privilege to speak up on causes and issues that matter. It is very important to me that you all, as the Front Porch Baking Co. community stay a top priority. Making sure I am always connecting with you and finding ways to give back through my breads and pastries in meaningful ways throughout our community.