Page 33 - Winter 2022

s| APPETITES
Teacher starts baking business
named after her bulldog
Story and photos by Joshua Darnell
A 6-year-old English Bulldog named Blue stands watch as Joanna Wiggins moves gracefully around the kitchen of her Watkinsville home.
With a fine, white coat and a noble jaw wreathed in massive jowls, Blue’s brutish good looks make a pleasing contrast to the delicate beauty of the homemade baked goods Wiggins is arranging on her kitchen table. It’s hard to say whether Blue stands watch out of loyalty to his owner or out of hope that she will drop a cupcake on the floor.
“I think he has a sweet tooth,” Wiggins said of her attentive companion. “Sometimes, he’ll take a bite of a cookie, then I’ll take a bite.” She shrugs. “He’s my baby.”
He’s also the naming inspiration for Blue’s Bulldog Bakery, the bespoke bakery that Wiggins owns and operates from her own kitchen. There, she makes custom cookies, cakes and dessert bars
from her collection of specialized recipes acquired over decades of baking experience.
“I like to give people something that they can’t get anywhere else,” said Wiggins, whose creations are intricate yet approachable—crowd-pleasing favorites illuminated with an undeniable touch of artistry,
They are appropriate for weddings, rehearsal dinners, parties and almost any kind of special event.
“I’ve collected so many recipes throughout the years,” she said, “if they’re looking for something special, it might be a recipe that I have.”
A career educator who is in her ninth year of teaching fourth grade at Oconee County Elementary School, Wiggins discovered her love of baking when she herself was a youngster. Wiggins recollected that she had “a terrible sweet tooth” and that baking
Blue’s Bulldog Bakery is named after Joanna Wiggins’ 6-year- old English Bulldog.
sJoshua Darnell is a freelance writer and retired military officer living in Bogart, Ga.
WINTER 2022 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | PAGE 31