By the time Lia Holter opened Made. by Lia in 2020, she’d spent nearly a decade building a loyal following for her lavish layered cakes and polished pastries. But this fall marks a new milestone for the baker and TLC’s Next Great Baker winner: the release of her first cookbook, a project that reflects both her professional expertise and her life at home as a mother of three. Holter shared the concept had been quietly developing for years before reaching the page. “I’ve always wanted to write a cookbook,” she explained. “But I never really thought I’d have the time to do it.”
The opportunity came unexpectedly through her long-running relationship with Fleischmann’s Yeast. After working as a brand ambassador for several years, Holter stayed close with the company’s leadership even after her contract ended. Then one day, Rick from AB Mauri (Fleischmann’s parent company) called with a proposal: Would she like to develop a cookbook for them, showcasing some of her favorite recipes while featuring their yeast? “I was like, heck yeah,” Holter laughed. “I’ve always wanted to write a book.”
Over two years – save for a short break to welcome her third child – Holter and her team meticulously tested and fine-tuned recipes spanning each era of her baking life. Some selections hail directly from her St. Louis bakery’s display, including the colossal chocolate chip cookies and gluten-free lemon blueberry scones that draw daily praise from customers. Others reach back to Holter’s earliest kitchen experiments – like the lemon meringue tart she first tried to master in grade school using store-bought crust and a boxed mix, which she’s since transformed into a fully scratch-made showstopper.
“That one’s really special,” she said. For the new book, Holter also created recipes designed specifically for the home baker: approachable, versatile base recipes that invite experimentation. Her Everyday Loaf, for instance, can be baked plain or customized with cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon-raisin or countless other combinations. Her focaccia dough, one of her personal favorites, is easy enough for beginners but impressive enough to make them feel like pros.
“I wanted recipes that people feel confident making at home, that actually look like the picture,” she shared. That philosophy extends to her cake recipes, which Holter said are where it all started for her. Her one-bowl chocolate cake (finished with a splash of coffee to deepen the flavor) is endlessly adaptable, as is her classic vanilla cake.
“I’m all about simplicity and mastering a few solid recipes you can go back to every year,” she said. “Less is more.” The cookbook also captures the family-centered approach Holter has woven into her business since its earliest days. After studying abroad in Italy and starting Made. by Lia as a Facebook page in 2012, she built her reputation cake by cake, first from a tiny apartment and later from a borrowed commercial kitchen.
By the time she purchased her current storefront at 610 Rue St. Francois St. in Florissant, Holter had already weathered national TV exposure, the birth of her daughter and the long road of entrepreneurship. Finding the space itself had been a journey: Holter had searched for years, exploring neighborhoods across St. Louis. When they first toured the building that would become Made. by Lia, she didn’t immediately feel the spark she had hoped for. But then, days later while driving by, a small detail caught her eye: a fake cherry blossom tree had appeared in the window, a whimsical sign that hadn’t been there on previous visits. Cherry blossoms have always held personal significance for Holter – they’re tattooed on her wrist and even appear in her signature photos of baked goods, a quiet emblem of her craft and vision.
Holter unlocked the doors for opening day in August 2020, at the height of the pandemic. The early months were punishing – late nights, a skeleton staff and her children napping or playing in the bakery between shifts. But the shop quickly developed a dedicated following, and today Made. by Lia employs around 20 people.
Holter said the proximity to her home and her children is what makes it possible. “People always ask, how do you do it all? Well, I don’t do it all,” she laughed. “But being so close lets me run home, pick up my kids, or even nurse my baby between tasks. My kids see me working hard for something I love, and that makes all the difference.”
With her first cookbook, Holter hopes to extend that spirit into other people’s kitchens. “My goal is to bring people back to the table,” she said. “We’re all so busy, but there’s not much better than sitting down together at the end of the day. Whether you’re baking with your kids or dropping off a loaf to a neighbor, it’s about sharing.” Lia Holter’s cookbook is available now at Made. by Lia, online at madebylia.com (with nationwide shipping), and at select local bookstores including Barnes & Noble and local cookbook shop Anchovy. “I don’t want it to sit on a shelf,” Holter said. “I want people to open it, bake from it and make the recipes their own.”
This article appears in Sauce Magazine // September 2025.