Hi, My name is Elena. I was born in Lviv, Ukraine. My family emigrated to Ohio in 1989 when I was 4 years old. We traveled between Ukraine and the U.S.A. my entire childhood; it was a beautiful time in my life. 

That’s where my Ukrainian roots developed. My grandparents had a big orchard and we lived in season. That’s where I was exposed to canning, processing our own meat, and making homemade wine, cultivating a garden, baking, and cooking all from scratch. When I became a mom, I wanted to offer the same for my children— Teach them where their food comes from and eating sustainably. 

I started baking bread in 2013. Sourdough reminds me of my childhood in Ukraine when my mom gave me pocket change and asked if we can get a fresh loaf of bread from a kiosk down the road. They had a fresh delivery of hot dark bread daily! I always had enough for a chocolate bun to eat on the walk back. It’s one of my favorite memories. To me, baking bread is a big joy and I want people to feel the same little simple joy when they buy bread from Five Lavender Loaves. The feeling of comfort and home, as someone once described our bread to me. 

Five Lavender Loaves started in March of 2022 when the war started in Ukraine. We wanted to sell our bread to support the people affected by the bombings. We had a great outcome and we just continued to sell bread. We are so grateful for all our customers and all the support.