Vegan baker makes treats to be shared

MILLERTON — During COVID-19, many of the more fortunate took up pottery.

Windowsill herb boxes became full-fledged botanical paradises. Some people took the time to sew or knit, to learn a language, to adopt a puppy, and for a while, it seemed that all anyone talked about was baking. As grocery store shelves became bare and toilet paper became a commodity, so, too, did baker’s yeast, and the topic of “to sourdough start” or “not to sourdough start” became common dinnertime conversation.

For some, this period was an opportunity to elevate hobbies into passions, while others took the time to realize dormant dreams and, some might even say, step more fully into lifetime callings.

Jared Voorhees dropped out of college after a few semesters to tour the country in a band. After that, he was unemployed for a while and, a bit panicked, applied to pretty much any job available. He saw a job opening at Ceremony, a specialty coffee company based out of Maryland, and got the part-time job in fulfillment.

“Over the years at Ceremony, I just got close to everyone, and I’d spend time on the roast floor when I had free time,” said Voorhees. “I tried to stay out of the way, but I let them know, ‘Hey I wanna learn.’”

His goal was to fill in once a position became available in roasting, and soon enough, that’s what happened.

In 2021, the position of head roaster at Irving Farm became available. Voorhees came to see Millerton, Face-Timing his partner, Caroline Robins, back at home in Annapolis to show her the town.

He got the job and moved right away. Robins and their dog, Greta, came about a month and a half later, having never seen the place in person.

Robins, a personal trainer and yoga teacher, had transitioned to teaching mostly online during the pandemic, so the move was an easy one for her professionally, and they both were excited to explore and become part of a small town. Voorhees lived above the café in town for a bit before the two found their home.

The style of coffee and coffee culture was different at Irving than Voorhees was used to at Ceremony. “I’ve been head roaster at Irving Farm for two and a half years now, “ said Voorhees, “and I’ve really enjoyed the transition and creating a roasting program with my coworkers that we’re really proud of.”

The coffees are tasted each day, and special attention is paid to each blend and single-origin bean they offer. Voorhees’ personal favorite right now—“It changes all the time”—is Rwanda Mushonyi.

“Roasting is kind of like tattooing,” said Voorhees. “Someone has to teach you. There are courses you can take and stuff, but you can’t apply any of the knowledge unless you are in front of a roaster somewhere.”

Voorhees learned baking in a similar way: by watching his mother. “My mom was always baking when I was younger. She would make chocolate chip cookies from scratch probably every weekend or every other weekend.” Voorhees laughed, “To this day, she probably doesn’t have her recipe perfected.”

His mother was more of a trial-by-success-and-failure baker. “I was a kid, so they always tasted the same to me. I mean, they were chocolate chip cookies and they always tasted good.” He added, “Always. There just were cookies around at all times.”

His mother’s experimental approach influenced Voorhees, but he didn’t bake much after leaving home. During COVID, like so many, however, he had a craving for homemade chocolate chip cookies.

“I looked up a recipe on Bon Appetit. Everyone was learning from Bon Appetit and YouTube videos. I used Chris Morocco’s recipe and I just veganized it.”

The couple had become vegans in 2015. Robins “went first,” she explained. “Environmental, family health history,” being the first reasons, she said, and then, “we became more interested in learning about our own personal health and having agency over that.”

Voorhees started a blog, sharing recipes and vegan baking tips. He started making cookies and bringing them to work at Ceremony. He also posted the recipes on Instagram.

“Baking just became a hyperfixation for a while, and then the fixation just never went away,” said Voorhees, who is also a graphic designer. Soon, he made his own website at www.sharedgooods.com with enough baking content and a space for the investigation of vegan ingredients that “are just different,” he explained.

In fact, the website has a section titled “The Index,” dedicated to vegan substitutions. There, you’ll find suggestions for vegan alternatives for eggs, butter, flour and even sugar.

“The butter has more water in it,” for example, said Voorhees, so making sure each baker trying his recipes understands an ingredient’s effect on the baked goods is important to him.

“I have a little of my mom’s mentality, that nothing’s ever perfect and I’m always iterating the recipe. I’m not searching for perfect.”

But he is searching. Since that first Bon Appetit-inspired recipe, Voorhees said,“ Yeah. I’ve probably made them hundreds and hundreds of times.”

“Adjusting the butter,” added Robins, “the sugar, all the things.”

“It’s changed 10 or 12 times at least,” said Voorhees, “But I feel like I’ve landed on one that I’m proud of.”

The Shared Gooods website also has a section about Voorhees in which he wrote: “I don’t aim to be ‘healthy’, or (on the contrary) ‘indulgent’. I like baked goods. To me they’re a food group, and I eat them when I want to. I only make two claims: the recipes are vegan, and the recipes are tasty.”

“I hate the word, ‘healthy’” Voorhees added, “because I think it’s different for everyone.”

“It’s such a diet culture word,” said Robins.

“Yeah, totally,” added Voorhees, “And it’s so just so vague. I mean, there’s not just heart health or physical health, but also mental health. Eating baked goods makes me happy,” he laughed.

Voorhees started doing pop-ups at the Millerton Farmer’s Market last year, and this year, has committed to being at the market with his Shared Gooods stand the first Saturday of every month. On those days, he wakes up at 2 a.m. and gratefully has use of the Irving Farm kitchen to make his baked goods. Robins rides her bike to meet him and the two are at their stand until 2 p.m., a long but fun 12-hour day.

When asked if he envisions having a bakery someday, he said, “If I had to answer, I’d say not right now. I want to own a business with Caroline for sure. I don’t know that it would be a bakery, though. A bakery is such a different beast. It’s a lot and it’s really hard.”

“One of the main things when we moved here,” said Robins, “is to be respectful of the town and not just come in and say we knew what it needed or what it was missing, but actually live in it for a moment and be in it for a moment. And two years still isn’t enough to fully experience something. But,” she added, “The farmer’s market feels like such a natural place to meet people where they are.”

Voorhees is also doing occasional pop-ups elsewhere at places like BES in Millerton, and the coffeeshop Ilse in Canaan, Connecticut, where he collaborated with Daniel Meissner, a local chef.

“Those are the things that are the most fun for me,” said Voorhees. “They’re really about community and meeting people.”

When asked about the extra “O” in Shared Gooods, the two talked excitedly about its fun and playful nature and about giving away from the overflow.

“I love baking and sharing my recipes. The whole point for me is that people walk by and see my baked goods and get excited and just think they’re delicious.” Voorhees added, “It doesn’t matter that they’re vegan, but once they  find out they are, they’re sometimes totally surprised, and that makes me happy.”