"My best friend from childhood reminded me of my desire to be a baker. When I was a little girl, I would imagine my future bakery. I would dream of the bakery name. I drew little pictures of the things I wanted to bake. My relationship with food started to get shaky at about 9 or 10 years old.

I forgot about my dream of baking as I started to get older, never thinking about it again until I was 20 years old. I opened my first bag of flour on August 19th, 2020. I was baking everything I possibly could, testing what I was capable of. I continued to grow with my baking, but I was also hiding an eating disorder that followed me from my childhood.

On a random weekday I confessed to my mother that I was losing my battle to bulimia. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I was 22, in rehab for an eating disorder, and missing my life. During my stay, I remember mourning my baking future. I mean, how could I continue to bake and get well from an eating disorder?

It took me a little over 2 years to recover from my eating disorder. During that time, I completely abandoned baking. My stand mixer was gathering dust, and I only turned on my oven for frozen pizzas.

When I turned “the big 25”, I found Taira again. Baking Taira. Pastry Chef Taira. I am finally in a place where I have a healthy relationship with food. I can create again!

Now that I have recovered from my eating disorder, I am devoted to taking care of baby Taira and nurturing her dreams. Through the power of creation, I am offering love, joy, and healing. A sense of purpose. Love that has been handed down generation over generation, starting with my great grandmother. Haize & Honey is for me. It is for my mother, Swhana. It is for my great grandmother, Hazel."

- Founder and Baker of Haize & Honey,

Taira Bagley