There’s something undeniably sweet (and savory) about Deja Keppler’s journey that led her not just to Iowa, but to opening the beloved Indianola bakery Savor the Rise. And like all good recipes, there’s a lot of trial and error, unexpected messes and leaps of faith that made it all possible.
Originally from Buffalo, New York, Deja’s path to Iowa wasn’t a straight line.
“I grew up on the East Coast. I really loved the West Coast and I thought that since the Midwest is right in between, that would be great,” she explained.
After moving to the Des Moines area, she was drawn to Indianola’s charm. Then, when the world slowed down in 2020 due to the pandemic, Deja found herself, like many, searching for comfort in the kitchen.
As a self-professed foodie and someone who had always been into cooking and baking, Deja just started doing what felt right – making food that she loved, teaching herself every step of the way with two kids in tow until she eventually felt good enough about her products to share them at the local farmers’ market.
“I just brought over a few treats,” she said of her earliest days as a vendor at the Indianola Farmers Market. “I think it was like a brownie batter biscotti, an egg biscuit and cookies. And you know, some of the things I brought over, people are like, ‘What is a biscotti and why is there tahini in your cookies?’”
But all questions aside, those quirky and unexpected twists on the classics helped her food become the talk of the town. “After about three weeks of being in the red, things started to sell out and then I integrated the bread and then that just kind of snowballed.”
That snowball ultimately led to opening a brick-and-mortar business in Indianola’s downtown, where the Savor the Rise storefront has been earning rave reviews and bringing the community together since 2022.
Joining a Foodie (& Friendly) Community
Today, Savor the Rise’s menu is a blend of comfort and creativity. Savory favorites include the famous cheddar cheese, egg and prosciutto croissant (an open croissant pastry with an egg in the middle and prosciutto on the outside) and the Everything bagel croissant with cream cheese in the middle and Everything seasoning on the outside.
On the sweeter side, Deja’s chocolate croissants, cruffins (a croissant pastry tossed in cinnamon sugar coating and shaped like a muffin) and berries and cream Danishes have patrons lining up every morning.
While the baked goods are the stars of Savor the Rise, the locally sourced ingredients are what makes them possible.
“As soon as the produce is in season, we always work with local farmers,” Deja said, highlighting partnerships with Indianola Farmers Market vendors and Breadtopia in Fairfield, Iowa, for fresh-milled flour. “Most of those grains are going to be Iowa grown.”
That spirit of local collaboration extends to the bakery’s celebrated supper clubs, held every two months as a way to bring outside culinary talent into her Savor the Rise universe. And that universe is all about celebrating the local Iowa food community, too.
“When we do those, we get everything as local as possible,” she said of her supper club dinners. ”The meats, the veggies—you name it, we do it. I’ll typically bring in a local chef, whether someone at a restaurant or someone who does it for passion. It’s always a collaboration and a local feature for everything.”
While Deja continues to embrace the community and local producers through her business, the community often responds by going wild for her sourdough and croissants. Deja eats up how welcoming Indianola has been to her and others.
“One of the biggest reasons I love running a business in Indianola is there are so many unique independently owned businesses in the square. We’re just very, very fortunate, and lots of them are women-owned too, which I love,” she said.
And that communal energy means her neighboring businesses aren’t competitors or a threat. Instead, they all function together as a support system for each other.
“There’s not necessarily like competition between each other,” she said. “I feel like we all lift each other up and have something unique to offer to the area.”
A Love Letter to Iowa Living
Deja knew all of the stereotypes you’ve probably heard about Iowa before. Corn, not much happening and so forth. Quickly though, she realized that those assumptions were flawed and she was won over by Iowa’s charm.
“Any small town you visit, they’re very well-kept. The communities are wonderful, and I feel like the people are very welcoming,” Deja said.
On a perfect Saturday, you might find her hiking at Lake Ahquabi, sampling cinnamon rolls and coffee at her own bakery, shopping around the square, and, if it’s balloon season, watching the iconic hot air balloons drift across the Iowa sky at the National Balloon Classic.
