Arkansas Micro-Bakery Trailblazer
By Katelyn Allen on Monday, November 3, 2025
Monica Chatterton’s decision to become a baker happened gradually. She didn’t have a traditional path to becoming a baker, in fact, she went to college for history. After graduation, she began baking for a local farm-to-table restaurant. She was encouraged to start selling her pastries, particularly her specialty, “flake babies.” When the pandemic hit in 2020, she decided to pursue baking full-time.
“I really had nothing to lose,” Monica said. “Worst case scenario, I would just have to get a ‘normal’ job again.”
With experience in the kitchen and studying cookbooks throughout her years, she was more than ready to succeed as a micro-baker.
“Those skills have been vital in running a microbakery within the confines of my 165-square-foot home kitchen,” Monica said.
Flake Baby, Monica’s pastry business, currently operates out of her home and exhibits a unique personal style that sets her products apart from other local micro-bakeries. The growth of the business is sustainable, and she hopes to open her very own storefront or commercial kitchen to expand production and separate home and business life.
