We Are the Heart

Mariestel von Voigt, pronounced 'Marie'/'Stel,' is the owner of the "Mariestel's Heart of the Home" home MICRO-bakery. She learned to cook at an early age. Her mother, Estella, would give her specific tasks to complete while preparing the family dinner. Eventually, her mom would ask her to prepare the family dinner by herself. Her passion grew to the point where she was experimenting on her own and preparing dishes with the help of different cookbooks.

Mariestel grew up, met her husband, Robert, got married, and began a family. Raising three children (Alana, Melia, and Jake) motivated her to experiment further to provide nutritional meals for her family. Her passion for cooking continued to grow and expanded into baked goods and canning food. She perfected her recipes and would often bake cookies, scones, and other baked goods, which she gifted to family and friends. Mariestel was further motivated by the health concerns over processed foods sold in stores and her desire to prepare her baked goods with minimal ingredients that support good nutrition.

Mariestel's son, Jake, was diagnosed with autism at an early age and was a picky eater who seemed to only subsist on chicken nuggets and French fries. Wanting to provide nutritional food that Jake would eat, Mariestel was inspired to make food at home that Jake would eat by utilizing minimal ingredients instead of relying on store-bought processed food. Her own health would also factor into this decision, as she was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, which limited the types of food she could consume. Some ingredients in store-bought food would cause her arthritis to flare up, leaving her body in immense pain. Her decision to utilize minimal and healthy ingredients helps keep her arthritis under control while expanding the types of food Jake now consumes.

After receiving encouragement from her family, Mariestel decided to open a home bakery and sell baked goods produced in her home kitchen. She prepares her baked goods and offers them for sale to the public with the same love and passion as if she were preparing them for her own family.