We were lucky to catch up with Mary Jayne Wilson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mary Jayne, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Thoughtful Baking Co., our mission is simple: to make real food for real life. Comforting, nourishing, and thoughtfully made from scratch with local ingredients, just like we’d cook for our own family.

This mission matters to me because I grew up in a home where food was love. When life gets busy, when someone’s going through something hard, or even when they’re celebrating something sweet, we believe a homemade meal or pie can say what words can’t.

We work closely with farmers we know by name, and that connection to the land and our local community keeps us grounded. Our comfort packages, farm-to-fridge meals, and farmer’s market baked goods are all rooted in that same intention: to show up for people with food that feels like home.

That’s what makes it meaningful. It’s not just about feeding people, it’s about caring for them.

Mary Jayne, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi there! I’m Mary Jayne Wilson, Chef and founder at Thoughtful Baking Co. We’re a small, mission-driven kitchen based in Charlotte, North Carolina, offering handmade comfort food with a focus on local ingredients and inclusive options. What we do might look like quiche, pot pie, and Southern pie slices, but underneath it’s all about care, connection, and comfort.

I created Thoughtful Baking after years of working in restaurants and catering, and after becoming a mother. I realized that so many of the people I loved, including myself, were in seasons of life that felt too full to cook, but still deeply needed the kind of food that made them feel taken care of. So I built a business around making those kinds of meals: things like shepherd’s pie with grass-fed and finished beef, roasted veggie pot pie, brown butter oat fruit crisps, and slow-cooked soups made from scratch.

We serve our food through Farm to Fridge vending machines, comfort package delivery, and farmers markets around Charlotte. We also cater, and we work with farms we deeply trust like Riverbend Creamery, Barbee Farms, and Seven Sisters to name a few along with many others.

Our goal is to meet people where they are. Whether it’s a tired new parent, a grieving friend, or someone just trying to make it through the workweek, I’m proud that our food feels honest. It’s the kind of thing that doesn’t pretend to be fussy, but still tastes like someone made it with love.

What sets us apart is our thoughtfulness, not just in name but in practice. We think about who’s eating, what they need, and how to show up with something that feels real. That’s the heart of it. Whether you’re gluten-free, vegan, or just need a moment of ease in a hard week, we hope our food makes you feel cared for.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think it’s been consistency, care, and staying true to what we believe in. We don’t cut corners, and we don’t try to be trendy, we just focus on making really good food with ingredients we believe in, from farms we know and trust.

People notice when something is made with real attention. Whether it’s the hashbrown crust on a quiche or the way we pack up a comfort package, we try to do things with intention. Over time, I think that kind of thoughtfulness builds trust.

Word of mouth has been huge for us too. Most people find us because someone they love dropped off a meal or they stumble upon us at a Farmers Market. That means a lot to me. It’s not just about food, it’s about being part of someone’s story in a small but meaningful way.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson I had to unlearn was that everything had to be perfect before it could be shared. For a long time, I held myself back waiting for the “right” time or the “perfect” version of something—whether it was a new menu item, a product label, or even launching the business itself. I was so worried about getting it wrong that I almost didn’t start at all. I spent many years in classical French pastry and it although that technique is rewarding in its own way, there is so much more beauty in imperfection.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thoughtfulbakingco.com
• Instagram: thoughtful_baking_co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thoughtfulbakingco

Image Credits

Joshua Vasko