Neighborhood Nest | Photo by Marissa Couch | The Wright State Guardian
Located in downtown Fairborn, Ohio, The Neighborhood Nest is a dedicated gluten-free bakery that has operated in the area for approximately two years.
The Neighborhood Nest is run by Amber Tipton of New Carlisle, Ohio. She has hundreds of recipes, but customers are often the source of inspiration.
“I always say I do what I do because I’m giving people back something a health issue has taken away from them. One of the first people I baked a birthday cake for had been celiac for 22 years and had not had his grandma’s strawberry cake for 22 years. I gave it back to him,” said Tipton.
While in her final stages of culinary school, Tipton received her celiac disease diagnosis.
“I had one pastry class and I had a chef that let me bring in about 70 pounds a week of supplies in to try gluten-free and something clicked. I continued to refine as we moved along,” said Tipton.
“Every time I have a mom come in and cry because their kid can literally pick anything off of all the shelves, I have a purpose then,” said Tipton.
The Neighborhood Nest sources to several local places with a market for gluten-free products. This includes: Lefty’s, This Guy’s Coffee in Springboro, Health Foods Unlimited, Butter Cafe, Glow Juice Bar, Healthy Alternatives and Scratch by Justin, as well as Ashe and Mantle seasonally.
Not only is the bakery gluten-free, but they pride themselves on catering to other allergies and health concerns.
“We work really hard to make one day to bake with nuts. After that, we sanitize the kitchen. We’re the same way with dairy,” said Tipton. “We try to pick one day to do dairy-free so there is no danger of mixing milk up. Everything gets a sticker; the sticker will follow it from start to finish so nothing gets mixed up.”
Everything Tipton does has a health basis; while believing that keto is a fad diet, she believes there are health benefits to it.
“Keto is great for diabetics. The keto diet was developed around 40 years ago for seizure disorder. Those who have this disorder and participate in keto, it cuts down seizures by a lot,” said Tipton. “The diet also helps to eradicate cancer quicker in the body and helps by partnering with chemotherapy. Because it contains no grain or sugar, it’s really helpful with high protein and good fats to help fight cancer.”
The chef has been baking since she was a child, as it was a family tradition. The logo for The Neighborhood Nest uses her great aunt’s mixer that she still has at home.
“There is always someone coming in saying ‘gosh I really miss that thing from when I was a kid’” said Tipton. “That never leaves the back of my mind so the next time I’m bored and trying recipes, those are the ones that I’ll try. That’s my goal, what can I give people back that they miss?” said Tipton.
Before opening the Fairborn location, Tipton worked out of home and at farmer’s markets for three years. She raised her kids creating their baby food and baking treats from scratch.
“Anthony Bourdain has a great quote: ‘I’m a chef, I’m not your nutritionist and I’m not your conscious.’ I’m a chef, so my goal is to feed you great food, I can’t help you if you don’t have self-control,” said Tipton.
