Fayette County couple celebrates a baker’s dream come true

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — In the kitchen of her Fayette County home, Heidi Stampley poured a pound’s worth of white gold.

“It’s just exciting to see your dream actually in a bowl,” she said.

It’s her authentic beignet and baking mix.

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It’s a recipe created by her husband Micah.

He worked on it for two weeks.

“I thought you were going to tell me it took him 14 years,” Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen exclaimed.

“No! My husband is an amazing chef,” Heidi laughed.

They hail from Louisiana and owned a restaurant in Fayette County.

But it closed right before the pandemic lockdown.

So they took a big risk, they mass-produced the baking mix.

This past spring, the beignets came out perfectly.

They won a golden ticket.

For the last ten years, Walmart has sponsored an event called “Open Call”.

Entrepreneurs from all over the country pitch their shelf-ready products, made in the USA, to be sold in the superstores.

Those selected are presented with a golden ticket.

Orleans Foods Authentic Beignet and Baking Mix is now in Walmart stores in five southern states.

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Heidi says she’ll never forget walking down the baking aisle.

“Is this real? Because you’ve been going into Walmart all your life getting Duncan Hines and icing. All these things are there. And then my product is tucked right there in the middle!” Heidi said.

The mix is now in 200 stores across Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. But not Georgia. Not yet.

Heidi is working with Walmart to make it happen.

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