ST. CHARLES – Two Wild Seeds Baking Company has planted a dedicated gluten-free bakery in the heart of St. Charles, so no one has to make due with pale imitations of favorite desserts.

Mother-and-daughter team Susan and Katie Kritzberg have created a space that tempts the eye as well as the appetite.

Colorful aprons hang from hooks in the cheery shop dotted with inspirational sayings that prompt a smile.

The business name refers to Katie Kritzberg, of St. Charles, and her older sister, Leslie, who lives in California, but has a long-distance hand in the enterprise.

She’s an artist whose gift card designs and curated selection of unique gifts are part of the space.

“[She’s] the artist, and I’m the baker – we saw ourselves as the two wild seeds to pay homage to our upbringing,” Katie Kritzberg said. “We were brought up on 4 acres of property. It was very rural. We spent summers outside barefoot picking berries.”

Following her passion, Katie Kritzberg moved from food writing to attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. But she said she really learned at her mother’s knee.

“I had grown up baking with my mom … we always called her Martha Stewart,” Katie Kritzberg said. “She’s an artist, and she brought a lot of that flair from her art background. We started getting requests for wedding cakes and sweets tables.”

When they ventured into the baking business, Katie Kritzberg said they based it on family recipes. The Kritzbergs previously sold their treats as Blackberry Baking Company at Sweet Natalie’s in downtown Geneva before opening their own shop.

“We took tried-and-true recipes and wanted it to taste homemade,” she said. “Everything we make is from scratch – something we’re really proud of.”

The new store is part cafe, offering patrons seating at an eclectic trio of tables that look liberated from rustic French kitchens and pay homage to the farm-to-table philosophy of the two pastry chefs.

Since the bakery opened at the end of May, the hit items have included mini 4-inch cheesecakes.

“We go through a lot of those each day,” Susan Kritzberg said, noting they are decorated and garnished in different ways – from fresh berries or turtle style to lemon curd atop a brown sugar pecan crust. “Another thing popular are the fresh crisps. We’ll do apple crisp, whatever type of fruit we find that’s fresh. We did [one with] peach, plum and blueberry.”

The only savory item is a buttermilk biscuit with cheddar cheese and spring onion.

“People are clamoring for them,” Susan Kritzberg said. “We sell out. People are encouraged to place an order if they want several of an item. We’re known for our small-batch baking, so everything is very fresh.”

Also popular are the salted caramel bars.

“One of Katie’s specialties is making caramel,” Susan Kritzberg said, describing the sweet – a shortbread crust topped with homemade caramel and semisweet chocolate. “It’s very decadent, but very delicious.”

A nostalgic bestseller is the oat ‘n honey pie: two chewy oatmeal spice cookies prepared with local honey and sandwiched with vanilla buttercream.

In addition to its regular choice of beverages, Two Wild Seeds just introduced summer specialty drinks, such as iced chai, hibiscus tea, iced coffee and elderflower lemonade with fresh strawberries.

Katie Kritzberg also started making a lavender simple syrup to add to coffee.

“Katie has been using some of the lavender out of my garden,” Susan Kritzberg said, noting they bake with a variety of items from her garden in Yorkville when it produces an abundance. “We’ve got some berries, and I forage for black raspberries, which grow wild. I’ve got peaches on my tree, and will try to use them as well.”

When it comes to special orders, Susan Kritzberg said they request them a week ahead or more, if possible, especially for wedding cakes. They also create a variety of special occasion cakes and cupcakes.

Among the items the store retails is locally roasted coffee from FreshGround Roasting in Geneva. It’s also served at the bakery. Filling a niche as a specialty gift shop, Two Wild Seeds offers inspirational books, natural bath products, hand-poured soy wax candles, whimsical party ware and Bron’s Bee Company organic raw honey bottled from Heritage Prairie Farm in Elburn, echoing the local artisan focus of Two Wild Seeds.

“We want it to feel like our home – as if you’re stepping into our kitchen,” Katie Kritzberg said. “Warm, welcoming and homey.”

Two Wild Seeds Baking Company is at 320 W. Main St. (Route 64), near Lincoln Park in St. Charles. During the Concerts in the Park season, the bakery will stay open late Thursdays. It is closed Monday and Tuesday. To view all the offerings, visit twowildseeds.com or call 630-797-5350.