Former art director of several national magazines, including Smithsonian, House & Garden, and The Washington Post, Brian Noyes knows his way around a publishing house. He also knows his way around a kitchen. After purchasing a small farm just outside of Washington, D.C., Noyes started selling jars of jam at his farm and at local country stores, using a red truck (fashioned after his own vehicle) on the labels. The popularity of the jams encouraged him to expand his offerings to baked goods—which became an in-demand item around the community. The New York Times featured Red Truck Bakery as a favorite food purveyor two years in a row, which only increased its following.

Red Truck Bakery is situated in Marshall, Virginia, and works closely with farmers to utilize organic and naturally grown produce and dairy products. It has been featured in magazines like Saveur, Travel + Leisure,  and it was named one of “America’s 13 Sweetest Bakery Destinations” by Conde Nast Traveler. It also got a thumbs-up from President Barack Obama, who enjoyed their sweet potato bourbon pecan pie for Pi Day.

This year, Red Truck Bakery published their first cookbook, Red Truck Bakery Cookbook: Gold-Standard Recipes From America’s Favorite Rural Bakery. It includes 85 recipes for dishes like Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, Shenandoah Apple Cake, and Appalachian Pie with Ramps and Morels, alongside stories of the bakery’s history and anecdotes about the dishes.

If you are looking for holiday baked goods, Red Truck Bakery ships thousands of items nationwide each year. After meeting at this year’s Southern Foodways Alliance symposium, Noyes sent Natalie a copy of the cookbook (check out our Heath Ceramics collaboration plate with the Pecan Pull-Aparts above), some of their famed granola, and a gluten-free almond cake. The items ship beautifully and we highly recommend sampling their goods yourself. For more information on their offerings and shipping details, click here.