{"id":3114,"date":"2021-06-05T08:45:14","date_gmt":"2021-06-05T12:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/?p=3114"},"modified":"2021-06-05T08:45:17","modified_gmt":"2021-06-05T12:45:17","slug":"carrie-rains-grains-and-sweets-benzoina-bakery-bun-in-the-oven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/betsiecurrent.com\/index.php\/carrie-rains-grains-and-sweets-benzoina-bakery-bun-in-the-oven\/","title":{"rendered":"Carrie Rains: Bun in the Oven"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Questions & Answers with community faces<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having grown up downstate, Carrie [Arnold] Rains (37) graduated in 2002 from Paw Paw High School, while also dual-enrolling in the local technology center with a focus in phlebotomy. After high school, she stayed in the general area\u2014working at a bagel shop\u2014and would soon meet her future husband, Gabe Rains (41), in Kalamazoo, where he was the assistant teacher in a massage class that she was taking. The two hit it off as friends at first, but she says that she fell in love with him on their first \u201cdate\u201d to see a friend\u2019s art show. After dating for six months, the couple decided that they would like to travel the country together, and so they moved to the small town of Salida, Colorado, where Carrie worked as a cook\/baker in a cafe in which Gabe also worked as a barista.\u00a0

After about a year, the couple moved to Washington state for their next adventure but found that it was not for them; the only logical next move was across the country to Maine, where Gabe\u2019s parents live. Maine led them back to Michigan, this time to Boyne City, where they both worked at the Boyne Mountain spa\u2014Carrie in reception, and Gabe as a massage therapist. It was then, in 2008, that Carrie decided to go to cosmetology school; she moved to Grand Rapids, with Gabe following shortly. The couple also tied the knot that same year.

Grand Rapids became home for the Rainses for several years\u2014their first two children, Finnigan (10) and Mabel (8), were born there in 2011 and in 2013, respectively. However, in 2014, they made the decision to move back to the tiny Maine town, and their third child, Clover (6), was born in 2015.\u00a0

And while Maine was beautiful, the family decided that Michigan was where their hearts lived, and they made one last decision to move\u2014this time, Northern Michigan felt like the right direction to head, and Benzie County just happened to be the perfect location to land. The couple\u2019s fourth child, Sage (2), was born in 2018, and they are now eagerly anticipating their fifth child, due later this month.

Nowadays, Gabe works at Rock\u2019s Landing, an independent restaurant located at Chimney Corners on the north shore of Crystal Lake; Carrie works as a cosmetologist at Sole Salon in Beulah and at the front desk for the Michigan Center for Holistic Medicine in Frankfort. On top of that, however, she also owns her own baking business, which she founded in 2017: Rains Grains & Sweets.

Continuing with our interview series on impactful Benzie County characters, The Betsie Current<\/em> caught up with Carrie Rains on a rare \u201cnight off,\u201d while she was preparing to stock The Sweets Shed, a self-serve micro-bakery in her backyard\u2014she is currently on maternity leave from all of her jobs, except for baking.\u00a0

The Betsie Current: <\/strong>What first interested you about baking? What do you enjoy about this line of work?

Carrie Rains: <\/strong>I\u2019ve enjoyed cooking and baking since I was a child. My favorite books to check out from the library were always cookbooks, and still are. I enjoy the transformation of ingredients into something else. Feeding people has always been a part of my life. I began baking more passionately a few years ago, when I discovered how calming it is. When I\u2019m reading a recipe and putting ingredients together, my mind is clear and calm.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>What about your other jobs\u2014what can you tell us about those?

Rains: <\/strong>I\u2019ve worked off and on as a cosmetologist for nearly 13 years. Just as with baking, I really enjoy seeing a transformation. I enjoy being part of people\u2019s self-care routine. I like that I will always have the opportunity to work in salons and spas. It\u2019s a completely different experience than baking, as a typical salon is lively and full of energy. It\u2019s a great balance. As for working at the holistic healthcare office, I can call upon my past life as a phlebotomist and lab tech. I do front desk work, as well as blood draws and general labs. In the future, I plan to expand my work there as a holistic esthetician\u2014I\u2019m sort of one of those people who has done everything!

Current:<\/strong> What does a typical day of work look like for you?

Rains: <\/strong>I have no typical day of work. Every single day is different. I usually plan baking around my other jobs and my kids. Two days a week, I work at the healthcare office, and those are typically 9-to-5 days. I decided to pick up a day a week at the salon and just work Saturdays. It\u2019s a great way to chat with the community and exercise one of my skills. I am usually baking three to four nights per week, and it usually takes me about three hours each of those nights, depending on what special requests I may have or what I decide to put in The Sweets Shed. Right now also happens to be baseball season, and two of my kids are participating this year. It\u2019s definitely a busy time for us.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>How has your workday changed since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Northern Michigan last March?

Rains: <\/strong>Since the pandemic began, I\u2019ve actually done more baking. This year, it morphed into the opening of The Sweets Shed\u2014we turned our little gardening shed into a self-serve bakery pop-up. The Sweets Shed is located at our home in Benzonia. It\u2019s a little yellow shed that I fill with treats three days a week, Thursday through Saturday. I never know what I\u2019ll bake until the night before, when I typically do most of my baking. I try to have something for everyone! I make gluten-free options, vegan treats, brownies, cupcakes, breads, a large variety. I also really enjoy feedback about what people enjoy seeing in there. We decided to go this route when I had lots of people wondering where they could find my baked goods, outside of the farmers\u2019 market. With COVID, the self-serve option made a lot of sense. I can\u2019t say the idea was entirely mine; there are quite a few micro-bakeries in bigger cities doing very similar things.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>How have you seen your work grow and change? How do you hope that it will continue to grow? What is next? Have you had any collaborations?

Rains: <\/strong>In the past few months, business has blossomed far more than I expected. Having just sold my baked goods at farmers\u2019 markets and craft fairs in the past, opening up a home base has given way to far more possibilities. People have always asked me where they can find my baked goods, and now there is finally a location. I would like to continue to have a presence at farmers\u2019 markets, but this year poses a different challenge with the birth of our newest family member just around the corner. I\u2019m hoping to have an amazing baker friend of mine take over for a bit of time this summer by filling The Sweets Shed with her own treats, while I take a maternity leave.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Carrie
During the pandemic, Carrie Rains\u2014who has owned Rains Grains & Sweets bakery since 2017\u2014turned her little, yellow gardening shed into a self-serve micro-bakery pop-up. The Sweets Shed is located at 850 Michigan Avenue in Benzonia. Rains fills the Shed with treats three days a week, Thursday through Saturday. Photo courtesy of Rains Grains & Sweets.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Current: <\/strong>What are some of your favorite projects? What are your top three best sellers?

Rains: <\/strong>Special requests can be a lot of fun to work on, especially if I\u2019ve never done what the customer is requesting. The best way to reach out to me for special orders is usually on Facebook messenger. I also check my email extremely often. Top three out of the Shed would be Samoas brownies, Buckeye brownies, and lemon cream bars; top three at farmers\u2019 markets would be fig bars, garlic cheese scones, and oatmeal cream pies. It\u2019s actually really interesting that the top three at the market don\u2019t do as well in the Shed\u2014I wonder if the same would happen vice versa!?

Current: <\/strong>What kinds of things do you do for fun, when you are not working? What other things are you involved with? How did you get involved with them, and why are you passionate about these causes?
\u00a0
Rains: <\/strong>My family really enjoys being in nature. Hikes on the many trails around the area, trips to Lake Michigan, camping when we can, kayak trips down the river\u2014we like to get outdoors. We are lucky that all of these things can happen without going far from home. I\u2019ve been on the school board for the Crystal Lake Cooperative Preschool for coming up on five years. The program is an absolute gem in our area, and we are so lucky to be part of it. Having Miss Bianca [McLaren] teach all of our kids has been a wonderful experience, and taking a role in the school board has given me an opportunity to work even further with our community and my kids.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>On that note, we know that you have four kids, with another on the way! What is it like to be a young family in Benzie County, with kids in the local school systems?\u00a0

Rains: <\/strong>It seems like there are more and more young families moving to this area. We find that there are lots of activities popping up all around, especially at COGNiTiON and with Amalia Fernand at Nature Explorers.\u00a0 Having kids in the Benzie school system has not come without challenges\u2014it\u2019s difficult to understand why a large part of the community doesn\u2019t want to show support for our school systems. It was really hard seeing the bond proposals for a new school fail three times before it finally passed. Our kids are the future. They deserve schools without leaking roofs and grossly outdated equipment and supplies.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>How have you seen Benzie County\/Northern Michigan change since you first moved here? What are your hopes for the area in the future?

Rains: <\/strong>I\u2019ve only lived in Benzie for six years. In that short time, I\u2019ve seen the number of families with young children grow. It feels like the community is growing for the better in many areas but is still stuck in the past in a lot of other areas. My hopes are that the community sees the value of our young people and continues to help them grow and learn to the best of their abilities.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>What are the biggest challenges and rewards of living\/working in Benzie County and in Northern Michigan, in general? What is the best or most rewarding part of your job?

Rains:<\/strong> One of the first things I discovered about living in this area is how much of a seasonal place it can be for work. Living here means being in one of the most beautiful areas around, but having to work most of the summer\u2014when the work is available. Starting my own business has definitely changed that, in a way, where year-round work is more available, but still extremely busy during the summer months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rains
Carrie Rains, owner of Rains Grains & Sweets micro-bakery in Benzonia, tries to have something for everyone\u2014 make gluten-free options, vegan treats, brownies, cupcakes, breads, a large variety. She also does custom orders. Photos courtesy of Rains Grains & Sweets.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Current: <\/strong>What could Northern Michigan do to attract more talented young people to this area?

Rains:<\/strong> Obviously, housing is a big issue. When we decided to move to the area, we felt essentially homeless for months. Living in summer rentals during the winter, having to move out of those and staying in our camper during the summer, and then staying with friends at the times that the other options weren\u2019t available\u2014those were the only options for us. We were lucky to find the house that we eventually did.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>What else does Northern Michigan\/Benzie County need?

Rains: \u00a0<\/strong>Housing and more open-mindedness for all walks of life.

Current: <\/strong>What are your favorite local events and activities? Any favorite dining, recreation, hiking spots?

Rains: <\/strong>As I said, we enjoy taking the kids to COGNiTiON and to Nature Explorers. Hilltop Soda Shoppe is definitely our favorite ice cream spot. Old Baldy trail is probably our favorite hike\/walk.\u00a0

Current: <\/strong>What does your perfect summer day look like in Benzie County? How would you spend it?

Rains: <\/strong>Having a day off together as a family feels like a rare moment in the summer, and we try to soak up every minute of a Northern Michigan summer day.\u00a0

Visit \u201cRains Grains & Sweets\u201d on Facebook<\/a> to learn more. Email\u00a0RainsGrainsSweets@gmail.com<\/a>\u00a0for more information, or contact via Facebook messenger for a fast answer. Bulk and custom orders are almost always welcome. For this summer, however, Carrie Rains has put a temporary hold on any special orders outside of The Sweets Shed; she will also be taking some time off once her baby is born in June. To visit The Sweets Shed, head to the blue house at 850 Michigan Avenue in Benzonia; the Sweets Shed is located on the driveway off of Walker Street, to the back of the house. Rains Grains & Sweets accepts Venmo, Paypal, Apple Pay, and local checks.<\/em>

Featured Photo Caption: <\/strong>Gabe and Carrie Rains enjoy home-baked Nutella cupcakes alongside their four children (left to right): Sage, Mabel, Clover, and Finnigan. Not only that, but the family is expecting a seventh member later this month\u2014Carrie may have been busy baking sweets before this photo shoot, but she also has a bun in the oven. Photo by Aubrey Ann Parker.

————————-

SIDEBAR<\/strong>

What is Michigan\u2019s Cottage Food Law?<\/strong>

Michigan\u2019s Cottage Food Law allows Carrie Rains to sell goods that have been baked to order from her home.\u00a0

\u201cNon-hazardous foods that do not require time and\/or temperature control for safety can be produced in the kitchen of a person\u2019s primary domestic residence for direct sale to customers at farmers\u2019 markets, roadside stands, or other direct markets.\u201d (Michigan.gov<\/a>)

What types of foods are considered cottage foods?<\/strong>

In general, these include baked goods; fruit jellies, jams, and pies; cakes, breads, cookies, and pastries; candies, confections, dried fruits, herb seasoning, cereals, trail mixes, granola, nuts, fruits, vinegars, popcorn, and cotton candy. (FarmToConsumer.org<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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