Values rooted in family & nurtured in community.
Meet Auntie Jo.
Josephine, better known as Auntie Jo, was widely known in her rural northern Wisconsin community not only for her delicious baked goods, but also for her genuine kindness and ability to effortlessly inspire those around her.
Growing up and raising her young children during the Great Depression, Josephine came out of an era in which the kitchen was the center of the home. She learned how to make everything from scratch in order to help support her family during this time.
To Auntie Jo, food was a gift, and she viewed it as precious. She had an innate ability to make food lovely, even if it was simple.
Josephine led by example.
When she accepted the job as the first female postmaster in her little town of Armstrong Creek, Josephine demonstrated that women could serve their community and also advance professionally.
Josephine was a giver.
Widowed at a young age, Josephine found a renewed purpose in uplifting the women around her. Fully aware of the struggles that women face daily, she channeled her passion for baking into a way to spread kindness within her community.
Josephine showed that kindness costs nothing.
Josephine started baking for all kinds of women, whether they were providing for their family as single mothers, facing disabilities, or battling sickness. Dedicating her life to serving others, she continued to provide for women and families until her passing.
Meet her legacy.
Growing up, Nancy spent many hours in the kitchen with her grandma Jo. Surrounded by grandma Jo’s distinctive light pink walls, Nancy watched and learned intently as Josephine taught her not just the art of baking, but the value of loveliness in simple food and the sweetness of giving.
Throughout her childhood and into adulthood, Nancy watched as her grandma Jo used the gifts she was given and what she had around her to help other people. Witnessing firsthand the amount of joy Josephine brought to her community, Nancy grew to admire her grandmother’s generous heart and sense of community.
Fueled by a desire to uplift her community and the women around her, Nancy is following in Josephine’s footsteps. Inspired by her grandmother’s dedication to family and community, Nancy created Auntie Jo’s Confections to serve women, families, and other small community-based groups in the greater Sheboygan area.
Simple is lovely.
Auntie Jo’s was founded on two core beliefs.
One: Food is a precious gift.
Life was different in 1932. At just 20 years old, Josephine became a mother in the midst of the Great Depression. While she cared for her young family, Josephine found unique ways to make even the simplest of foods enjoyable.
Two: Simple food can be lovely.
Josephine believed that food is a gift meant to be shared, and that the people who shared it are what make it so special.
While Nancy continues to honor Grandma Jo and the love she poured into her baked goods, she has updated the recipes to be shelf-stable.
About the baker.
Nancy is driven by one desire: to share sweet kindness and classic bakery with others.
When she established Auntie Jo’s Confections, Nancy’s vision was to use simple recipes to create lovely baked goods, because at her core, that’s what she is—simple and lovely, just like her grandma Jo.
Through Auntie Jo’s Confections, Nancy’s goal is to help others share the gift of food with the people they care about most.
In addition to personal and family training, Nancy has taken professional classes locally. She has obtained additional training and mentoring from national brands including King Arthur baking, Emily Hutchinson from The Hutch Oven, and other recognized bakers.
