This week on The Sauce, host Lauren Healey sits down with Lia Holter, the award-winning baker and owner of Made. by Lia at 610 Rue St. Francois St. in Old Town Florissant, who has released her first cookbook just in time for the holiday baking season. She’s also the cover star of our October 2025 issue.
Holter shares how a childhood spent baking alongside her mom and grandmother blossomed into a thriving career. What began as a small Facebook page in 2012 has grown into one of St. Louis’ most beloved bakeries, with a national spotlight moment when she took home the top prize on TLC’s Next Great Baker.
In the episode, Holter opens up about how family traditions and pastry-school training shaped her “not-too-sweet” baking style and how she built her business through pop-ups, community support, and a $25,000 Kickstarter campaign. She also gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at developing and testing recipes for her debut cookbook, along with tips on balancing entrepreneurship, motherhood, and creativity.
Listeners can expect plenty of tasty talk too, including her team’s current favorites: cherry strudel, jumbo chocolate chip cookies, vegan cinnamon sugar donuts, and vegan/gluten-free chocolate espresso donuts.
Holter’s new cookbook is available now at madebylia.com, Amazon, Target, and local retailers. Watch the full interview on YouTube or listen on Spotify and all major podcast platforms. New episodes of The Sauce drop every Tuesday.
