Baking where you are planted

Elizabeth Keese (’14) developed a love for baking at an early age, but she never dreamed of the doors she would walk through as a result. The beginning dates back to a batch of cookies in kindergarten, but Keese’s baking career really took flight in a kitchen in Germany.

While attending nursing school at Harding, Keese spent a three-month break visiting her sister overseas. During that time, Keese began baking and decorating cookies in her sister’s kitchen, and the dream grew from there. When she returned home, her mom, Pamela Adams Keese (’82), encouraged her to keep baking, which quickly led to the formation of her shop, the Plum Peacock.

“It was all kind of my mom’s doing,” Keese admitted. “To be honest, she was my champion and just really encouraged me to pursue [baking] because she could see how passionate I was about it. You know, moms are always like that. They always cheer you on in anything you do.”

Keese’s creativity opened the door to her next big break. News of Ree Drummond’s product line at Walmart had sent Pioneer Woman fans into a tizzy. For Keese, that meant creating cookies to reflect the items coming to the store’s aisles. Thinking nothing of it, Keese packaged up several cookies and sent them off to Drummond’s home in Oklahoma with a note complimenting and congratulating Drummond on her new line.

“Never thought in a million years would she respond,” Keese said. “And then she ended up responding and writing a blog post about those cookies. Shortly after that, she opened her mercantile in Pawhuska. And so that’s how I got the job as a lead baker there.”

About a year into her job at the mercantile, Keese’s mom, her champion, died. In a quest to honor her legacy, Keese found her way to foster care. With that change came a move to Oklahoma City and a new job, and Keese felt her mom’s presence and support throughout it all.

“When you have someone that’s so encouraging and such a good role model, you just can’t help but be inspired by them and try to do better,” Keese said.

Keese’s new title, executive pastry chef for Swadley’s Catering Co. (the largest caterer in Oklahoma), comes with new opportunities to expand her creative palette.

“Basically, I’m in charge of all the desserts that we cater,” Keese said. “It’s different than when you have a bakery, like at the mercantile or when I had my own bakery, where I make a bunch of stuff and sell it. With catering, people can pretty much order whatever they want, and we’ll make it for them. I really love it because I’m always needing to make new things and try out new recipes. I love the creative side of [baking] where I can develop my own recipes and try new recipes out on people. That’s where my passion is.”

The first creative project she remembers were red, orange and yellow leaf-shaped cookies she made with her mom in kindergarten for superstar week at school. She loves having that same opportunity now to work in the kitchen with her foster kids.

“My mom was always in the kitchen, and I always loved that time with her,” Keese said. “So I bake with my foster kids — we make cookies, and they love to help me out with everything.”

Though foster care is something she always knew she wanted to do, Keese did not expect to start it at this point in life. Keese said that after her mom’s death, the opportunity for foster care fell into her lap and has turned into a beautiful blessing.

“Looking for ways to help and serve has really helped me with where I’m at now,” Keese said. “My mission in life is just to bloom where you’re planted, see what you can do where you’re at in order to better the people around you — better yourself, really … I think sometimes [God] uses the worst situations to show you his blessings.” — Jantzen Haley