About

Hello!

Petal & Moon Pastry is a 1-woman licensed cottage & home bakery in Oak Park, Illinois. Sales are web-based and pre-order only at this time. Sign up for my mailing list to be the first to know when pre-orders open!

All of of my products are made with Illinois grown and milled organic whole grain flours. I source seasonal and local produce as much as possible, working directly with farmers and millers. Many of my products are vegan (dairy and egg-free), and some are gluten-free.

My name is Ashley Renee Johnson. I live in Oak Park with my kiddo & partner. I am Chicago born and raised! Our family loves Star Trek, playing board games, and pretty much everything sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, and all-things-nerd.

I have worked professionally in the hospitality industry for 18 years. I am a trained chef with high honor degrees in both Culinary Arts and Culinary Management from the American Culinary Federation program at Joliet Junior College. I not only love to bake, but I love to cook and ferment. I spend a ridiculous amount of time considering flavor when creating food, and I love to incorporate textures and flavors for the best eating experience. Food is nourishment, but it is also pleasure!

I have several years experience working in Chicago restaurants. Most recently, I was the Head Baker at Somerset when it was a Boka restaurant under Meg Galus. I loved working with Chef Meg and my time with the pastry team at Somerset is some of my fondest kitchen memories. Previously, I was a pastry cook at Spiaggia and Cafe Spiaggia and would bake the cookies and morning pastries for the cafe, as well as make the gelato, custards, and cakes for the restaurant. I have also baked wholesale sourdough bread at West Town Bakery. Prior to my experience in kitchens, I was a barista, cafe manager, and catering manager.

I left restaurant work after I was furloughed from Boka due to the covid-19 pandemic. As most of the world started doing everything from home, I began helping my then 2nd grader with remote schooling, and also started baking sourdough loaves from home available via my instagram account. Baking from home brought to me a sense of normalcy during a time of extreme uncertainty.

In August 2020, I officially started Petal & Moon Pastry. I pivoted to primarily offering specialty cakes and thoughtful pastries that continue to incorporate sourdough, local ingredients and whole grains. In my current capacity from my home kitchen studio, I am honored to provide truly special, artisan cakes and pastries to Oak Park, Chicago, and all our surrounding communities. Thank you so much for choosing me to be your baker year after year!