Known as @fresh.byfrankie on Instagram, Frankie Tapley ‘28 bakes and sells delicious sourdough bread throughout the Bolles community. Her business now has 123 followers on Instagram and she has sold 20 loaves and currently has 22 orders to fill.
Frankie started baking sourdough bread in late 2024, but in 2026, she decided to create a business and start selling her loaves. She sells a variety of flavors, including original, rosemary, cheese, cheese and herb, and chocolate. Frankie is also open to suggestions and experiments if you have any ideas.
Frankie doesn’t just sell sourdough, though, she also makes other assortments of baked goods including banana bread, cookies, and brownies. Frankie plans to start making hummus in the future. She also started selling mini loaves.
“My favorite flavor is rosemary,” Frankie said. “It was the first addition I added to the sourdough.” Also, all of her rosemary is freshly grown from her own garden, adding that special touch that helps to build the home-made fresh personality.
Ransom Reback ‘28 recently purchased a rosemary sourdough from Frankie. “The bread was so good, I ate the entire loaf in two days,” he says. “I would 100% recommend Fresh by Frankie to everyone, her bread is quality, home made, and delicious.” Ransom especially enjoyed the rosemary touch, and says that “the texture and flavor of the loaf was unbelievable.”
Frankie puts lots of love into her sourdough, and making it is not an easy process. The sourdough takes around 2 days to make. “I start by making the dough with the sourdough starter (who’s named Trudy), flour, water, and then salt,” she says. She then has to stretch and fold the dough every half hour for 3 hours. After that, she lets the bread sit overnight.
The next step in the process is to form the dough, and add in the special ingredients such as rosemary. The dough then has to be proofed in the fridge for 12 hours before baking. After all that, you get the beautiful and delicious result.
Frankie first got her sourdough starter Trudy a year ago from her neighbor. It took her a while to get the hang of the baking, but after some practice and a few failed breads, her sourdough got to be as good as it is today.
The interesting thing about sourdough starters is they can last forever if maintained properly, with some being over 100 years old. Similar to a pet, you have to feed sourdough starters, with flour and water. Because the sourdough starters last so long, people will name them. Thus, Frankie’s sourdough has been named Trudy.
Sourdough bread also has an extensive history. It is thought to have originated in Egypt around 4,000 BC. However, there is evidence indicating it may have been used as far back as 37,000 BCE.
Frankie says her motivation is “seeing and hearing people’s reactions when they try it. “I love making people happy in the form of food.” She also really enjoys the process of making the bread and will take any chance she can to improve it.
Frankie’s bread is highly praised by current customers. Her business is continuing to grow. If you would like to order Frankie’s bread, you can talk to her at school, or dm her on instagram.
