Meet Tammy Carter | Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy Carter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I wanted to share more of my culture and create a one of kind product using ingredients similar to what my ancestors used. I also want to teach the next generation that there is a significance to each ingredient in our culture. Corn is sacred to us, our ancestors knew the best time to plant by watching the stars, they knew how much rain to expect by watching the phases of the moon. There are songs dedicated to the harvesting of the corn, as well as songs of harmony during a ceremony. Corn pollen is used as an offering during prayer. During a womanhood ceremony, a 4 foot cake is baked in the earth made entirely out of sweetened cornmeal baked all night in between a wrapping of corn husk. During a traditional Navajo wedding, newlyweds will feed each another blue corn mush from a Navajo wedding basket. Not only is corn an integral part of my culture, but an integral part of my custom creations.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My pastries are unique because I’ve created one of a kind products by incorporating flavors from my culture. I’m proud to say I continue to use ingredients that my ancestors would recognize.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my favorite places on earth has to be my grandparent’s, they live in one of the most rural and pristine places. There are canyons of varying depths that go on for days. To the north of my grandparent’s, there is a mountain surrounded by more canyons and a lake with a couple thousand miles of shoreline. Within the depths of one of the many canyons is my grandma’s sheep camp, where the hogan from her childhood still stands among an orchard where apples, grapes and peaches still grow next to a spring. An itinerary would consist of hiking to the sheep camp, with jugs of water for Navajo tea and coffee along with all the fixings for a mutton sandwich, such as lamb meat, chilis, onions, flour and lard for frybread. The views are spectacular and the sheep camp itself is as if time has stood still for almost a century. It is an experience.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My main source of inspiration has to be my grandparents. From a very young age I was raised by them on the Navajo reservation. Neither of my grandparents received a formal education, so to make money, my grandma weaved baskets and rugs. My grandpa worked in construction, both taught themselves in their trade. I credit my grandma for teaching me about our traditional foods as well as her ingenuity and creativity. I credit my grandpa for teaching me to persevere and to never quit.

Instagram: @carti_le

Facebook: Carter Leigh, Facebook Carter’s Sweets,

Other: Pricing – do you wish to share your pricing with our readers (services, products, etc.) My custom blue corn cookies are 2.50 each