About Us!

Hi, we're Janine & Mike Waszkowski! Born and raised Chicagoans, high school sweethearts, travelers, and big foodies!

I (Janine) have always had a love for cooking and baking, I was raised in a Puerto Rican household and was always cooking alongside my mom. Mike has been playing rugby since he was 15 and has always been an adventurous person.

After college, we decided we needed a change in scenery, so we moved out to LA to get some new life experiences. I became a pastry chef in a few kitchens ranging from high volume wholesale, ice cream shops, and cafes before the pandemic hit. Mike went on to run a sausage company, where he learned to make traditional German sausage and played rugby for Santa Monica.

During our almost 10 years of living in LA, we started to travel around the state. Going on hikes and camping, we fell in love with nature and national parks.

When the pandemic hit, I decided to focus on my passion project. I wanted to bake with the intention of taking people on adventures through food. With the inspiration of some of our favorite treats- Levain cookies and Salt & Straw Ice Cream, as well as inspiration from our travels- Bake Me Wild was born! We have traditional flavors that we offer year round, but every month we drop a collection based on Holidays and Seasonal flavors. 

We moved back to Chicago in 2021, continuing Bake Me Wild with the new addition of Rivers & Roads Cafe. We now bring our adventurous flavors you find in our cookies, to our coffee as well!