ALPINE, Utah — At just 13 years old, Ilili Server is turning heads with her homemade sourdough and baked goods — all under the name of her small business, Batch.
But beyond the fresh loaves and gut-friendly ingredients is a story much deeper.
Bridgette Server, Ilili’s mom, says she has stage 4 kidney cancer that’s spread to her liver and that doctors have given her about four months to live. “When you hear that you’re going to die, you reevaluate your life,” Server said. “You look at what you’re doing. Is this enough? Is what I’m teaching my kids enough?”
Server is a lifelong entrepreneur who has taught sourdough classes, brought bread to nurses during COVID, and was even featured on Martha Stewart Living for her scrapbooking business in 2004, as well as Oprah’s Favorite Things.
But now, her most important role is teaching her daughter everything she knows — while there’s still time. “I really need to pass this on — like I really need to teach her the things that I know. How is she going to know if I’m gone?” Server said.
Ilili, who is gluten-intolerant, has learned to bake using traditional fermentation methods, organic ingredients, and freshly milled flour — all designed to be easier on the gut. Server explained that everything they bake and make comes from freshly milled flour they mill right in their home.
Server says her daughter has always had an entrepreneurial spirit — she’s been selling salsa since she was five years old. And food, she says, is in their DNA. She comes from a foodie family of generations — her great-great-grandparents came over from Germany and were butchers. Her grandmother was a candy maker.
“We’ve always loved food, and we’re obsessed with food. We want to eat good food,” she said.
Earlier this year, the mother-daughter duo took a trip to Italy — visiting small farms, learning to make bread and gelato, and soaking in traditions they now bring into their home kitchen.
When asked what she’s learned from watching her mom, Ilili said, “Just like to be yourself and to never give up.”
She added, “She’s just like so strong and she just knows what to do. So, I want to be like her."
Their batches may be slow-fermented, but their impact is growing fast — one loaf, one lesson, and one legacy at a time.
You can find Ilili and her business, Batch, at the Alpine Days Kids Market on Wednesday, Aug. 6, from 5–8 p.m. at Creekside Park in Alpine.
