LODGEPOLE - Amy Richard followed her passion and found herself owner of a coffee shop in Panhandle Nebraska.

The Wildeflour Baking Company started as a dream increasingly becoming reality. Amy Richard moved to Cheyenne County about six years ago from Park  City, Utah when she got married. She started doing what she loved, cooking, and kept expanding.

"I baked all of my life," she said.

Her home cooking started in the farm kitchen, then expanded into the farmhouse until there was no room left. She and her husband started looking for a building she could bake in professionally. By this time, she had fallen in love with the Lodgepole community.

"I really wanted to be in Lodgepole," she said.

They bought the building in 2019, and began renovating the former automotive service location and dealership into a place for decadent treats, coffees and conversations. The location officially opened in October 2022. Stopping  by Wildeflour Baking Company is like a visit to living history with not-too-sweet treats and drinks as a bonus.

Richard said one of the community's favorites are the chocolate chip cookies, followed by their coffee cake. She said it has been a learning curve, learning what people like. 

Her favorite is made-to-order cakes, from the ingredients to the frosting, which at times makes the available space a challenge. 

Wildeflour Baking Company is located in former "Kripal" building on U.S. Highway 30. It is open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. She plans to include ice cream to the afternoon offerings during the summer months.