Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee Altizer.
Hi Aimee, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started along the path of founding Flourish several years ago with a group of four other individuals. A couple of them are still involved on our board of directors.
At the time, I was working in residential recovery as a chaplain and horticulture therapist. I’m an Episcopal priest and have been an executive pastry chef for many, many years. So, I took those experiences and wrapped them together. But what I saw was individuals leaving residential treatment, which usually last 30 to 90 days, without the support they needed to achieve long-term recovery. That’s why people generally are in rehab five to seven times before there’s any stick. And in that five to seven times, there’s an awful lot of opportunity for death. I realized something had to be done to change that trajectory.
Back to the group. This was a diverse group of faith leaders, culinary and substance use rehabilitation experts, and community members in Salt Lake City, Utah. We researched and developed an innovative solution to this problem: a paid internship program which fosters hope, healing, and accountability while simultaneously teaching the art and skills of professional baking to those recovering from substance use disorders with a history of incarceration. The first group of interns began the program in 2018.
Today, Flourish is the only ‘Second Chance’ long-term recovery, workforce reentry program in Utah. And statistics show our program is making a difference. The current rate of relapse and/or returning to jail for individuals in Utah is 76%. For the last three years, 100% of Flourish interns have not returned to jail and over 85% have sustained a life in recovery.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting a program like this in the culinary field where 60% of new businesses fail within their first year was a challenge in itself. But our biggest challenge was losing our home in early 2020.
For our first two years, Flourish Bakery leased a commercial kitchen space from Salt Lake Community College. We were notified by the school that they were not renewing our lease and given 90 days to vacate. So., we relocated our program to an interim location and began our search for Flourish’s long-term home just as the COVID-19 pandemic began.
At first, we temporarily suspended production and food truck operations due to the virus. However, we used videoconference technology to connect and reflect together and our interns continued working on projects at home while prioritizing both recovery and mental health. Our staff continued to receive full pay and we slowly returned to work using our food truck as our primary vehicle (pun intended) for selling our baked goods to the community at Farmer’s Markets and via online sales.
In August 2020, we were fortunate to find our current home in Midvale. This beautiful kitchen space was much larger than our original home and gave us room to grow even during this uncertain time.
And just as we were settling into our new space, Thanksgiving happened. We received orders for more than 400 pies with just 4 staff members to bake them! We eventually had to stop taking orders, but the overwhelming support for our work was just what we needed to head into 2021.
We’ve been impressed with Flourish Bakery, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Flourish Bakery is not just a bakery. Flourish Bakery is a community focused on life transformation that people join after inpatient recovery, outpatient recovery programs, and/or incarceration. Simply put, we are committed to changing lives, one pie at a time.
Transformation is achieved through job training with wrap-around supports designed to assure that individuals do not relapse and/or return to jail. These supports include:
A living wage of $14/hour while working at the bakery
A three-to-one ratio of students to culinary instructors
A daily group reflection and communal meal
Access to mental health counseling
A membership to a gym founded on recovery principles
A set of work clothing
A weekly writing group
A focus on financial wellness through counseling services with AAA Fair Credit
Statistics show that this approach is making a difference. The current relapse/recidivism rate in Utah is 76%. The current relapse/recidivism rate for Flourish is zero.
There are four easy ways people can support Flourish:
Shop our products: Purchase with purpose and buy specialty baked goods that help create opportunities for people to begin again. You can order online from us https://flourishslc.org/collections/all-products or have Flourish delivered via DoorDash, https://www.doordash.com/store/flourish-bakery-midvale-1744315/?utm_campaign=1744315&utm_content=red-medium&utm_medium=website&utm_source=partner-link
Donate to Flourish: Your support will help provide resources to support our intern program. You make a one-time donation or provide sustainable support as a monthly donor. To donate, visit https://flourishslc.networkforgood.com/
Volunteer your time: The heart of Flourish Bakery is in the kitchen and through volunteering, you become a part of this unique community experience. You will join the staff and interns in creating a wonderful selection of baked goods while sharing in a mutual experience of transformation. We ask volunteers to commit to at least a four-hour shift and a Food Handlers permit is required. No previous kitchen experience is necessary. Email volunteer@flourishslc.org to learn more.
Share our mission: Help us spread the word! Our supporter’s voices are vital for our growth. Be sure to tag us on social media with the #flourishslc hashtag.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I’ve really come to love Utah and Salt Lake after landing here 18 years ago. One of the things I love the most about our area is the access to nature. I love hiking in the Wasatch Back and find nature to be where I can find a deeper spiritual connection in my life.
I also love our small, but increasingly wonderful, culinary community. I enjoy taking newcomers to a couple of my friend’s local restaurants like Laziz and Mazza. In fact, Mazza’s owner Ali Sabbah was one of the first proponents of Flourish.
If I could change anything about our city, it would be the air quality.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@flourishslc.org
- Website: flourishslc.org
- Instagram: @flourish_bakery
- Facebook: facebook.com/flourishslc
