Orchard House Bakery opened its storefront at TwispWorks two years ago, on Dia de los Muertos. On opening day, bakery co-owners Rose Walker-Young and Arcana Ferschke displayed photos of two women at the shop as part of the celebration of honoring ancestors — Rose’s grandmother, Jaci Fry, and Arcana’s great-grandmother, Veronica Warner.
The photos drew such a strong positive response that they never left. They grace the top of the pastry case, gazing out at the bustling, cozy atmosphere created by their descendants and many helpers.
Rose has noticed that older women in particular are moved by the photos. Older people, and older women especially, often feel unseen by society, he said, and in the prominently displayed photos of two grandmothers, they see something of themselves being honored.
Arcana Ferschke and Rose Walker-Young, co-owners of Orchard House Bakery, displayed photos of Arcana’s great-grandmother, Veronica Warner, and Rose’s grandmother, Jaci Fry.
Arcana believes the photos have a grounding effect on the busy shop. “I think the presence of people who were our forebears, even if just a picture, helps us connect to the heart of what we’re doing,” he said, “when it can be easy to get consumed with logistics and schedules and bake times and all the numbers and clock things that have to happen.”
“It reminds us that cooking food for people is a long, long, ancient tradition,” he continued, “and reminds us to not think of ourselves as just mechanical hands and timekeepers, but living, breathing beings who want to feed people well.”
Jaci Fry was born in 1925 in Pennsylvania, and served in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) during World War II. More than 150,000 women served in the WAC during the war, the first women besides nurses to serve in the U.S. Army, helping the Allies defeat fascist powers.
She was also an artist who loved Georgia O’Keeffe and taught art through county recreation programs and at a senior center. In the 1960s, while raising Rose’s mother and aunt, she was the only single mother and the only woman with a college degree in her neighborhood.
Rose experienced a turbulent childhood, but Jaci lived across the street, and she introduced him to cooking. “She taught me how to scramble eggs and make grilled cheese,” Rose said. “I spent a lot of time with my grandma in the kitchen.” Rose described Jaci as being the anchor of the family, a woman who opened her home to anyone in need.
“She showed care and interest in everybody,” he said, “She was curious about everyone, and would just let people be who they were … That’s a lot of who I try to be.” Rose’s relationship with Jaci did more than shape who he is today. “My grandma was the rock in the storm,” he said. “Quite honestly, I credit her with saving my life.”
Arcana’s great-grandmother, Veronica Warner, was born in England sometime in the 1800s. She and her husband came to the United States together and farmed in Pennsylvania. According to Arcana’s mother, Veronica could do everything the men on the farm did, plus plenty of things they couldn’t.
Later in life, Veronica moved in with her son’s family in Cleveland, where Arcana’s mother was the oldest of 10 children. “My mom said it was just great to have her there, and just to have a grandmother in the house,” Arcana said.
Arcana’s grandfather, Veronica’s son, died just a few years before Arcana was born. “I love hearing stories that are connected to my grandfather, because it’s like I just missed him,” he said. “Having a picture of his mother there is an important connection that keeps me curious and keeps me remembering.”
Both Arcana and Rose have found grandmothers beyond family bloodlines, too. “There have been a number of other old women who have saved my life again at other times in my life, so I owe a lot to the abundance of grandmas that I’ve been blessed to know and love and be loved by,” Rose said.
“Everyone needs a grandma,” Arcana said, “whether they’re related to them or not.”
