New deli and bakery off to strong start in Albion

Wild Flour makes food from scratch, will expand dining room

Photos by Tom Rivers: Beth Miller, owner of Wild Flour Deli & Bakery, holds a turkey Reuben sandwich which she calls Daffodil. Miller has 11 sandwiches on the menu which are all named after flowers and offers a build-your-own sandwich option.

ALBION – Beth Miller was making sandwiches and soups from scratch out of her kitchen in Albion during the early days of the Covid pandemic about two years ago. She made the meals for friends and family.

She wanted to offer a healthier option than fast food and pizza.

Miller received good feedback, and her friends and family urged her to take her skills to a bigger audience with her own business.

On Nov. 1, she opened the Wild Flour Deli & Bakery at 438 West Ave. in Albion. Initially, she prepared the sandwiches, soups and salads by herself, making deliveries and offering pickup from a hallway.

Beth Miller prepares soups – French onion, Wisconsin cheddar, and chili – in the kitchen at Wild Flor this morning.

Word soon spread about Wild Flour. Miller now has five employees. She added a dining area and soon will be opening a new room with more sit-down space.

Miller is pleasantly surprised by the popularity of the new business. She didn’t expect it to take off so fast.

“People are excited to have a different option, a healthier option,” she said.

Miller, 32, earned a culinary degree at Paul Smith’s College and worked seven years as a pastry chef at upscale lodges and resorts in Lake Placid. More recently she worked as chef at the Holley Falls Bar & Grill, a server and bartender at 39 Problems in Albion, and the front house manager and chef at Lures in Kendall.

She said she has dreamed of opening her own deli and bakery since she was kid.

“I did not expect it to take off the way it did,” she said about Wild Flour. “But I knew people would like the food once they tasted it.”

Miller, a Holley native, has named her 11 sandwiches all after flowers. They come in different combinations of meat, cheese, toppings, vegetables, sauces and breads.

One of the most popular sandwiches is the Aster with roast beef and cheddar on rye, with banana peppers, pickled onions and horseradish mayonnaise, toasted on a panini.

The bakery includes cookies, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, scones and turnovers.

Everything is made the day of. Miller makes her own soups, mayonnaise and salad dressings from scratch.

“It helps me to stand out,” she said about her menu with her personal touch. “They are getting homemade from scratch. It’s my own brain putting this all together.”

Wild Flour is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Miller is looking to open for breakfast too, offering gourmet parfaits, quiches, oatmeals and other “grab and go’s.”

Miller graduated from the Microenterprise Assistance Program offered by the Orleans Economic Development Agency. One of the class mentors, Dorothy Daniels, owns the building at 438 West Ave., where Wild Flour is located. Daniels tried Miller’s sandwiches and soup and encouraged her to open the business.

“She is a very talented individual,” Daniels said about Miller. “People have been starving for this. It’s something besides fast food and pizza.”

The business offers delivery in the Albion area, and people can order online. For more information about Wild Flour, click here.