That Sweet Smell In Dayton Comes From...

DAYTON - Some say that David and Jule Keller work magic in the kitchen. The Waitsburg couple once crafted a fire- breathing dragon with flour, water, eggs, sugar and butter.

"The little birthday boy was so excited when he saw it, he was shaking," Jule Keller said. "He kept asking if he could touch it."

The Kellers have created baked images of school buses, tractors, turkeys and Uncle Sam hats in their leased commercial kitchen in Dayton.

Juda Specialty Cakes began on a whim, but it's become a livelihood for David Keller and a bonding experience for the newly married pair.

"I like to eat, I like to cook," said head baker David Keller. "So I figured, what the heck? I was looking for something to do, and this seemed as good as anything else."

David Keller, originally from Idaho, has a background in agriculture. He grew up on a farm and spent 20 years in the dairy industry. For over a decade he managed a large corporate farm in Nevada, and most recently he worked as field manager for canneries and food processers on the west side of the state.

Just over a year ago he moved to Waitsburg from Lewis County, Washington.

Jule Keller grew up in Waitsburg. Her family traveled when she was a young child, her father following work as a farm hand. They eventually settled down in the Touchet Valley.

Today, Jule Keller works full time as office manager for one of the several Fish and Wildlife Department offices in Dayton. She's kept her day job, but by night - and on the weekends - she's a baker, too.

The Kellers were married last spring. Together, they discovered a joy in baking and have been crafting original cakes for friends and family.

"Everyone kept saying, 'Why aren't you doing this full time and selling them?' " Jule Keller said.

So in October, the Kellers started Juda Specialty Cakes, "a unique 'cakery' for all life's occasions." The couple specializes in threedimensional cakes for all occasions as well as original wedding cakes.

They also bake cookies, brownies, rice crispy treats, bread items, miniature cheese cakes and cinnamon "whoops," a failed cinnamon roll attempt that became a success when David Keller realized he could market the less-thanperfectly formed cinnamon and sugar pastries in Waitsburg - home of the popular Whoop 'Em Up Hollow Café.

The Kellers sell their pastries in stores, shops and convenience stores in the Touchet Valley and Walla Walla.

"They've been a real hit," David Keller said. The brownies and rice crispy treats are extremely popular, he said.

When the Kellers set forth on this flour and frosting adventure, they quickly realized they wouldn't be able to go public out of their home kitchen. They couldn't get licensed.

So they started the search for a nearby commercial kitchen. Finally, they hit upon a winner. Seneca had their old cannery kitchen, mess hall and infirmary, all located in one large building in the Dayton complex, on the rental market.

"It was just what we needed," Jule Keller said. "We got lucky."

The couple signed the agreement, spruced up and painted the inside of the building in bright white with cozy, blue farmhouse-kitchen curtains, and brought the walk-in cooler up to state code.

Then they moved in. They've done it all on their own dime, preferring to start small, staying out of debt and "in control."

"We're doing it one step at a time," Jule Keller said. "Is there fancy equipment and baking tools out there we'd like to have? Sure. But this way is better."

The Kellers have kept busy since October, baking birthday cakes to thrill small children, goodies special ordered for holiday gatherings, and even last-minute wedding masterpieces.

The Kellers don't have a store front, but they're available for phone or Internet orders and will deliver in some cases. A deposit is required for large cakes.

The couple has a website with photos for those interested in ordering cakes or finding out more about other baked goods at www.judaspecialtycakes.com. They can also be reached at 509-876-7275.