46 FEBRUARY 2022 By Sabrina Proffitt Sarah Chisholm was looking for a way to share her love of baking with the people she loves, and in turn, the people they love. To do so, she first sought a way to offer high-quality cake mixes – and did just that with the creation of Wild Rye Baking Co., which launched online in 2021. Chisholm started her professional career as a ballerina. From age 15 to 23, she toured the world with ballet companies and honed her skills as a dancer. A severe leg injury forced a career change, so she focused on her other passion: baking and pastries. Phoenix chef/restauranteur Aaron Chamberlin, a friend of Chisholm’s, offered her a starting position working under local Phoenix pastry chef Katherine Dwight, where she learned the basics and worked her way up. Chisholm decided to elevate her training further by traveling to Europe for two months to learn more about the culinary world. After returning to the United States, she was offered the executive pastry chef position at St. Francis restaurant (now known as Oak on Camelback) and Phoenix Public Market Café. “I decided I wanted to focus on what my creation could be,” Chisholm said. “What would I do if I could do anything?” It was then that the seeds of Wild Rye started to take shape. “It took many years of developing recipes. How could I reach as many people as possible with this concept while making it accessible, right up my alley and authentic to who I am? Now, we’re here,” Chisholm said. When creating a name for the baking company, Chisholm took inspiration from her trip to Denmark after learning about grains and wheat. She said she carried this knowledge back to America, and adding in forms of grain, wheat, and alternative flours like rye, almond and sorghum flour into her recipes became an essential part of her baking. “The ancient grain clay is really important to me, so I wanted that to be in the name, but there’s also the wildness of having a good time, popping champagne, hanging out with friends and impromptu dance parties,” Chisholm said. “I liked the way the two worked together. We have whole and beautiful ingredients and want folks to have a wonderful time while baking.” Chisholm worked to perfect her cake, pancake and frosting mixes until the opening in late-2021. The online shop offers classic mixes, along with vegan and gluten- free options. In the future, Chisholm wants to expand by providing curated cake kits that pair cake mixes, frosting mixes and toppings together. The complete collection is online, and Chisholm also plans to work with local shops to offer in-person shopping options. “Wild Rye is about community, and Arcadia is my community,” Chisholm said. “It’s truly my home. Wild Rye brings that feeling of togetherness and celebration to as many people as possible. Starting with Arcadia feels like a great evolution of the brand’s beginning.” Cake mixes and other products start at $10.95. wildryebaking.com From ballet to baking: Arcadia local debuts Wild Rye Baking Co. Sarah Chisholm Wild Rye offers classic, vegan and gluten-free cake and pancake mixes. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SARAH CHISHOLM 2022 Direct-mailed to households in 85018, 85016, 85251 and 85253, the Arcadia News targets affluent families with our trusted and award-winning monthly publication. RESERVE YOUR SPACE BY MARCH 13 AT NOON. Contact Roni Mier at roni@arcadianews.com or call 602-840-6379. Display Ad + Listing • 1/4* Page Print Ready Color Ad in the APRIL Issue ($775 value) Need help with ad design? We are happy to design your ad for $45. • FREE Summer Camp Directory Listing in the APRIL Issue ($130 value) Want to reach more happy campers? Our comprehensive summer camp advertising program offers a multi-media approach to reaching 45,000+ potential campers in an affordable way. Camp Directory is also published online at arcadianews.com Camp Directory Listing • Promote your camp with a full-color listing in our APRIL Camp Guide OPTION ONE Display Ad + Listing OPTION TWO Camp Directory Listing TWO ONLY $ 595 ($905 value) ONLY $ 130

47 FEBRUARY 2022 By Cliff Summerhill Arcadia High School’s pom and cheer squads are headed to the national competitions this year, after both teams placed in the top three at the qualifying competitions in early 2022. In addition, Arcadia High’s cheer team came in second place – out of 22 teams – during the Game Day State Competition in December. This was the first year the cheer team participated in the event. “They were truly proud of their second- place finish at Game Day State,” Katie Gilbert, mother of freshman Lizzy Gilbert and senior May Gilbert said. “This is the first season that our team has competed in Game Day. They worked so hard on their routine and kept refining it after competing at the national qualifiers.” The pom team received third place at the qualifier competition and second place out of 16 teams at the national competition in January. They will head to State in March. “We felt it was the best we had performed the routine, and to place that high among such great competition was amazing,” Margy Hooker, mother of senior Jules Johns, said. “The competitions are nerve- wracking for both the parents and the team. They can focus all that nervous energy into the routine, but the parents have to sit in the stands and yell their hearts out for the team.” Moriah Johnson has coached the cheer team for the past three years. The group usually hires a choreographer for routines but this time, it was all up to Johnson and her assistant coach. “We spent several days creating and refining the routine until we had a piece that the girls and we liked,” Johnson said. “Coming in second was exciting. It felt great to know our hard work paid off, especially since we are new to the Game Day competition!” Former Arizona Cardinals cheerleader Davis Berryhill coaches the pom team. While the national competitions are a big deal, the teams have set their sights on the State Championships in early March. “Pom is hoping to defend their State Championship title from 2021, and cheer is hoping to return to the top after winning the State Championship in 2020,” Gilbert said. “These are talented teams, and they want to continue to build their legacy.” The pom and cheer teams practice four to five times a week, usually starting at 5:30 a.m., over a 10-month season. Practice is becoming even more critical as they move into the national and state competitions. “They practice in between getting ready for assemblies, football halftime routines, and learning sideline cheers and dances,” Gilbert shared. “There isn’t another group of athletes like them at Arcadia. They work hard supporting the other Titan teams (football, basketball, volleyball), on top of performing in assemblies and competing in their competitions. They’re remarkable!” Arcadia’s pom and cheer teams also held a Future Titan Night in January as an opportunity to teach and showcase their programs to future generations. Students ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade were encouraged to come to cheer and dance with Arcadia High’s award-winning teams. AHS Spiritline sticks to the mat at season’s competitions Licia and Morgan with Naomi at Future Titan Night, 2022. PHOTOS COURTESY OF AHS PLAY LOCAL. PLAY BALL. 6)+-78)6SRPMRIJSVXLI7TVMRK&%7)&%00ERH73*8&%007IEWSRŞ&S]W +MVPW%KIW GC<8J<M@J@KFLIN<9J@K<8E;I<>@JK<IKF;8P nnn%8iZX[`XC`kkc\C\X^l\%Zfd 1ERHEXSV]TPE]IVIZEPYEXMSRWJSVYTTIVHMZMWMSRW[MPPFILIPH7EXYVHE].ERYEV]ERH7EXYVHE].ERYEV]EX-RKPIWMHI1MHHPI7GLSSP 4VEGXMGIW&IKMR*IFVYEV]Ş7TVMRK7IEWSR6YRW)EVP]1EVGLXLVSYKL)RHSJ1E] 8EOIEHZERXEKISJ)%60=&-6(46-'-2+XLVSYKL(IGIQFIV I\ gister at nnn% ArcadiaLittleLeague.com PLAY LOCAL. PLAY BALL. 6)+-78)6SRPMRIJSVXLI7TVMRK&%7)&%00ERH73*8&%007IEWSRŞ&S]W +MVPW%KIW GC<8J<M@J@KFLIN<9J@K<8E;I<>@JK<IKF;8P nnn%8iZX[`XC`kkc\C\X^l\%Zfd 1ERHEXSV]TPE]IVIZEPYEXMSRWJSVYTTIVHMZMWMSRW[MPPFILIPH7EXYVHE].ERYEV]ERH7EXYVHE].ERYEV]EX-RKPIWMHI1MHHPI7GLSSP 4VEGXMGIW&IKMR*IFVYEV]Ş7TVMRK7IEWSR6YRW)EVP]1EVGLXLVSYKL)RHSJ1E] 8EOIEHZERXEKISJ)%60=&-6(46-'-2+XLVSYKL(IGIQFIV I\ gister at nnn% ArcadiaLittleLeague.com REGISTRATION NOW OPEN • BASEBALL SOFTBALL TEE-BALL • Boys & Girls Ages 4-12 VISIT OUR WEBSITE AND REGISTER TODAY www.arcadialittleleague.com Registration closes on Feb 5. SCHOOLS WITHIN OUR BOUNDARY INCLUDE Archway Veritas, Biltmore Preparatory Academy, Desert View Learning Center, Echo Canyon, Hopi, Ingleside, Phoenix Country Day, Tavan Placement evaluations are mandatory for upper Baseball and Softball divisions. Practice will begin in February. Season runs from early March until May.