here are our creative dreams manifested in edible form

we make these beauties from organic, gluten free, vegan, and locally harvested ingredients/ we use coconut oil, NYS maple, and gluten free rolled oats as the base to most of our bars/ these ingredients have a long history of healing stomach, nerve, and gut issues

we create based on intuition, flavor, and seasonality/ we pull our inspiration from various cultural and food traditions: polynesian use of sweet rice and coconut in their desserts; scandinavian use of oats, nuts, and seed to create their dense hearty loaves and crackers; scottish use of digestives, biscuits, and bars in their humble dessert traditions; south asian use of potently infused roots, herbs, and vegetables to honor and support the mind-body connection; brazilian use of tapioca and cassava to create grain free wraps, breads, and rolls; and american herbalists who make healing concoctions that focus on plant energy, synergy, and beauty

wheelhouse is a project that started in 2019

the plan was to create a little mobile kitchen in hudson with the simplest of intentions: bring good straightforward gluten free vegetarian food to our community and get around the prohibitive cost of brick and mortar

this wasn’t as easy as it seems— life got in the way and COVID got in the way (raising a toddler during pandemic without daycare is really difficult!), taking on the management of the Hudson Farmers’ Market, starting another business, and so much more

we’re hoping to revive wheelhouse in the future when thing align a bit better

but here are some of the wonderful things we created while serving out of our kitchen in 2019

we grow herbs, flowers, and vegetables in our home gardens/ these beauties are specifically tended to and harvested for the business and for our personal use

we bring flower bouquets to market, we infuse our bars-breads-crackers with herbs, we decorate our treats with edible flowers, we use vegetables and herbs for our catering clients, we make medicinal salves and oils with these friends, to be enjoyed year-round

another tier of happy belly, beyond the capitalistic structure, is to engage with our local ecosystem in a more sustainable way/ we intentionally grow organic plants and vegetables, use local organic compost, and we regularly add healthy worms to our beds/ we intentionally work with local perennials; by repopulating our yards with native and threatened species, we increase local biodiversity and create a more regenerative habitat for the pollinators that find us on their routes

EVERYTHING changed when our son died. In our deepest places of mourning we had hands reaching out to lift us up non-stop— reach out out reach was born out of our experience.

We wanted to preserve that experience in the best way we knew how. Our 2 person bakery is a small link in a much greater chain. But we know on some level this program is adding to goodness, change, and revolution out in the world.

So far we have raised funds for wild gather, columbia land conservancy, redwood empire food bank, 3 generations, columbia sanctuary movement, ndn collective, huili, ka iwi coast mauka lands via the trust for public land, out hudson, friends of hudson youth, grow black hudson, minnesota freedom fund, dignidade rebelde, alima cuisine for their food truck, inner flame for new equipment and supplies for a spice blend launch, karma cloud for the publishing of a children’s book once upon a winter solstice, heirloom cacao preservation fund for cacao tree adoption, agrofloresta, mohican nation stockbridge munsee tribe for land tax, and more

We have intentionally gone silent about our efforts— instead choosing to not center our business and our selves. This is now something that we are regularly doing throughout the year, when money allows, and we add to the list here for DD.

Our mission for REACH OUT OUT REACH can be found in our second picture— just scroll down.

we channel pure, clean, and healing energy into everything we create

monica is studied and trained in magical awakenings (level 8) and usui reiki (level 2)/ brandon is studied and trained in magical awakenings (level 3) and two styles of martial arts: soo bahk do (3rd dan) and isshin ryu (1st dan)/ we are both studied and trained in plant medicine work, sacred song, intuitive herbalism, and shamanic reiki

magical awakenings is an energetic system channeled by brett bevell/ it is based on the teachings of merlin (as archetype and incarnation), the holy grail (vessel of miracles), and lady of the lake (goddess of the divine)/ healing sessions are adaptive and fun, powerful and intuitive/ this system is gentle enough to shift everyday issues and strong enough to reach karmic threads/ it always holds the container of love and compassion, channels the powers of the natural world, and the limitless healing of magical beings

usui reiki is an energetic system channeled by mikao usui/ it is a system of symbols and hand positions that merge both spiritual consciousness and life energy (rei and ki) to encourage healing, relaxation, and stress reduction/ the practitioner grounds themselves, opens up to universal energy, allows it to flow through their hands, and treats themselves, other, animals, or objects

soo bahk do is a korean martial art founded by hwang kee/ it's roots are based in the concepts of history, philosophy, tradition, discipline-respect, and technique/ it is a body based energy system that utilizes the hip as the source for the most effective and powerful techniques/ the path bends toward seeing what your body, mind, and spirit are fully capable of both collectively and individually/ classes are structured, demanding, energy intensive, and fun

isshin ryu is an okinawan martial art founded by tatsuo shimabuku/ it's techniques are based on okinawan peasants defending themselves against japanese military occupation/ there is extensive weapons training: bow, sai, nunchaku, tonfa

Just a lovely collection of testimonies

“Happy Belly is a miracle. What a labor of love.” Sasha

“I felt like I was entering a ritual chamber of cleansing.” Alex

“They’re so good I make a sound when I eat it.” Kaya

“I didn’t even know I missed them and needed them when I found them.” Mystery Customer

“My eyes are feasted full.” Carrie

“I love you guys. It is divine…heavenly, thank you for sharing your magic.” Danette

“I have dreams about your toast.” Heather

“Your amazing treats keep me alive every week; they help me look forward to decadence on my raw food journey as I support and heal my clients and my listeners. Beyond grateful for your journey that brought us all Happy Belly!” Stephanie C

“Thank you for all you do! I love everything you make & can taste all the love you pour into each bar and loaf of bread.” Elizabeth

"These are probably the best confections in the world. I'm 80 years old [and I've traveled a lot], so i have the right to say that." Heidi

"These are some of the best things I've ever had in my life." Izzi

"Doesn't matter what you have for dinner, as long as you have a Happy Belly bar for dessert, you'll feel great the next day." Stephanie D