Bentonville native Sandi Macklom has a simple goal – make food that everyone can eat and enjoy.
Diagnosed with Celiac disease several years ago, Sandi switched to a gluten-free diet which she says has led to a number of health improvements. The only downside? The “terrible” gluten-free options at local restaurants and grocery stores.
“Everybody has to eat, and to feel excluded from something so simple is very alienating,” she says.
Sandi, who had always loved baking but drifted from the hobby following her diagnosis, launched Sandi Sue’s Gluten Free Bakery in Bentonville in 2021.
“I’m so lucky to do what I love every single day of my life. There is no better feeling in the world.”
Her customers range from parents who need a cupcake for a class party, to folks who simply enjoy a delicious baked good. One of the bigger compliments Sandi receives from friends and customers: “I’d eat it even if I didn't have to!”
But to turn a hobby into a profession, the former retail employee needed support.
With encouragement from her husband and now-business partner, Chris, she enrolled at Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food. Considered one of the most well-rounded and innovative food education programs in the nation, Brightwater is a hub for food training, activities, events and business in Northwest Arkansas.
The Walton Family Foundation supports Brightwater and other career pathways organizations across the region as part of an ongoing effort to enhance the economic mobility of all residents and assist local employers filling positions in growing fields.
For Sandi, proximity to home was key. “I wanted to stay in Northwest Arkansas and build my business. A school that's local and has connections and ties throughout the community was really important to me.”
As an amateur baker, Brightwater also gave Sandi the opportunity to perfect her technique. Thanks to her coursework, “Now, I'm essentially a chemist. With so many different flours that you can use for gluten free baking, trying to figure out the right blend and what tastes good takes a lot of experimentation.”
Finally, she credits the relationships she built with her instructors for her success today.
“I feel very privileged to call them my mentors,” says Sandi. “I’ve only been doing this for four years. Knowing that I have somebody local who has watched me grow up in this business has been really helpful. That feeling of community where everybody wants to help everybody else is what makes Brightwater so special.”
Sandi has also partnered with Bentonville Public Schools’ Ignite Program. Ignite provides a space for 11th and 12th grade students to gain valuable work-based learning experience, industry credentials and high-quality classroom instruction.
Construction students in the program helped Sandi build out her permanent bakery space. Each spring, she accepts a rotation of interns to come and learn about operating a successful food business. “You can’t expect the community to support you if you don’t support the community,” she adds.
In forging her own new career pathway, Sandi’s story offers a lesson to others interested in exploring opportunities with one of the region’s many programs.
“Everybody's path is different, and you do what you need to do when the time is right. It doesn't matter if you're 70 and you want to get that college degree, or go to culinary school or open a business. Do it. Life is too short.”
