The Baker That Can Fly

Her titles sound like the start to a riddle- a baker and a skydiver. Shayla Hand has been making baked goods and jumping out of planes for three years. Everyday fears don’t seem to apply to her. Originally from Utah, she packed up and moved to Florida on a whim, simply because she was tired of the snow. Hand began her career in ophthalmology, until the day she said she would make her hobby of baking her main gig. Originally not an adrenaline junkie, she’s now licensed to free fall in the sky.

“Being extra in general is my norm. Life’s too short to be anything else.” Hand’s got a vibrance in her voice that makes her recalling of stories sound like she’s happily narrating for a crowd. She’s detailed, yet succinct, funny, and frank. She’s imaginative as evident in the various, unique flavors of her breads and sweets. She’s intrigued by adventure whether it looks like plunging through the clouds or learning to adjust the recipe for a sourdough loaf due to the weather.

Photo by Kamryn Potteiger

Residing in Winter Haven with her husband Jon and son Beckett (who also help out with the cooking and flying activities), Hand runs her cottage bakery called Shay’s Sugar. She has shelf-stable baked goods in the form of cinnamon rolls, bread bowls, artisan bread, focaccias, and so much more. “I’ve been baking for years … since high school, for fun. But when I got married, I was really into Cake Boss and watching baking shows, so I would make decorated cakes. Then I began doing wedding and special occasion cakes, I would sell as a side hustle.” No longer a hustle, but an established brand and staple at the Winter Haven Farmers Market (WHFM) and several other markets throughout Central Florida.

“The Farmers Market is my home, I’m never going to not be at the Farmers Market because I love the people there,” Hand dotes and continues to detail what the freedom of not being boxed in a brick and mortar feels like, “Right now I love the flexibility of being able to pop around … I’ve been venturing out to Orlando, sometimes we go to Lakeland, and it’s fun to be able to move around and not be married to one spot.” The suggestion of a storefront is almost stagnating to a personality like Hand, who obviously needs room for creativity. She needs room to fly.

“So, this is wild, I had never in my life successfully made bread before. I was like ‘Yeah Lyndsey! I’ll bring you bread.’ I had tried before, and I had failed like every time. I was a cake and cookie girl. But I’m like ‘yeah, count me in’.” Yes, that is the first interaction between Hand and Lyndsey Venrick (with WHFM). Hand saw the area where she was “kneaded” and she rose to the task. She now creates menus full of bread options, many by request (Italian bread and rye from the snowbirds), some according to themes set by the markets she attends, and others based on wherever her imagination lands.

“I practiced a lot and figured out a few things before I got to the market, [which] was several weeks later. And then over time, I’ve had people ask for different things, so I’ve learned how to make new things.” Where some live in awe of an idea, Hand embraces the opportunity to experience it. She embraces spontaneity and the willingness to do the far-fetched ideas. Many would deem these as fun traits, where Hand sees a typical week, “I don’t even consider myself a ‘fun’ person, it’s just my life. It’s just the normal for me.”

With a normal like Hand’s, it’s no surprise that her grandfather announced he would like to go skydiving for his 80th birthday and Hand actually taking him would toggle her into the competitive side of the sport. “I was terrified. But I wanted to go have this moment with [my PaPa]. I was so scared I was gonna be the reason he died … like, he’s gonna have a heart attack and it’s gonna be my fault. I signed the waiver. I paid for this,” Hand can laugh through the tale now, “But he had the best time. I have the cutest pictures of him grinning ear to ear. And I’m like, ok, he didn’t die. And that was what really motivated me to try a second time.” After a single conversation about a birthday wish and what is certainly now a core memory, Hand and her husband continue to go skydiving.

Following the realization that there was a drop zone close to them in Lake Wales, Hand and her husband got their licenses to skydive. On one of their visits, Hand was approached to join a group that needed another body to jump that weekend. She said, “Sure.” No hesitation at all. And now, Shayla Hand, the baker, is Shayla Hand, the competitive skydiver, too. Her team placed second in their most recent competition, and they’re preparing to compete at nationals. Their discipline is four-way RW (relative work), Hand explains, “I jump with a team of three other females plus our camera man and basically we do formations in the sky. We are given things that we need to accomplish by certain points, and we just repeat this formation of the sequence as many times as we can while falling through the sky. And we get scored on how many we can accomplish in 35 seconds.”

Photo by Daniel Walley, Hand in pink

When Hand describes what she appreciates most about skydiving and baking, the symmetry lands on community, “Skydiving is the coolest sport ever because you get the best in the world and the brand-new baby beginners, and when you compete, you’re all in the same spot. One of my most recent competitions, one of the best in the world, was set up right next to us … and they just talk to you like normal people. When we’re practicing and mocking up our dives, the professionals are watching and will offer their input. And they’re willing to coach you because they’re experienced and know things we don’t know yet. It’s so cool!,” she reports with adoration. Then when speaking about the delights of Shay’s Sugar, Hand is most attuned with being present for the customers’ response. “My favorite part is the sharing and seeing their reactions. My favorite compliment I get from people is when they’re still standing in front of me and they rip open whatever they just bought and start stuffing their face, and then they either start yodeling about how awesome it is or immediately start throwing money at me to buy another one.” In both worlds, Hand gets to connect with people and be supported by people.

Whether behind her pastel colored booth surrounded by an array of breads and desserts or skydiving with her team, the baker that flies still sounds like a riddle. However, there’s no questioning who she is or what she will do. Shayla Hand will do and be whatever she wants.