Combining hobbies rooted in flowers and bread-making, #WittWed couple Amanda Shipley Ferrari and Michael Ferrari, class of 2012, have found a way to let their love grow while making a little dough.
A suburban flower farmer and micro-baker, the team recently began operating a self-serve cart to support their new vocation, Ferrari Flours, on the weekends starting in the spring and going to late fall in Bay Village, Ohio.
“I've always dreamed of owning a cut-flower business even when living in the city,” Amanda said. “When we moved to back to Ohio, I put this dream on hold while having our three little kiddos. It wasn't until last year that I finally decided to go all-in. Michael built me a flower cart, which gave me the space to offer flowers to the community. The first week, I urged him to add his bread. He was already baking bread for our family because he's passionate about healthy, additive-free bread that's better for your digestion. From then on, we started rolling out the cart every Saturday and Sunday with blooms and bread. We usually open around 9 a.m. and keep it out until sundown.”
A Bay High School graduate, Amanda earned her Wittenberg degree in political science with a minor in economics, while Michael majored in history and minored in political science. He was a member of Delta Tau Delta, and she was involved in Delta Gamma where she served as vice president of finance. They met freshman year outside of Ferncliff Hall and had the same group of friends throughout the years but didn't really become close until their senior year. During that last year, the couple was inseparable and have been together ever since.
“Our time at Wittenberg was so transformative,” said Amanda, who came to Witt with dance and music scholarships and sang in the Wittenberg Choir and for the a capella group Just Eve. “It gave us the education and experience to pursue careers and now dreams. We give back to ensure this great institution can do the same for many, many years to come.”
Reminiscing about his time at Wittenberg, Michael connects his love of breadmaking to Professor Emeritus of Education Robert Welker.
"Dr. Welker was one of the first professors I met at Witt,” Michael said. “The lessons he taught me, the experiences we shared, and the bread we ate together changed my life forever. Whenever a bake is complete and the smell of fresh bread fills the air, I reminisce of my time with Dr. Welker. He would unravel a freshly baked loaf of bread from this cozy country well-worn kitchen towel, slice, and lather with butter of course, as we discussed heady ideas, random baseball epics, or the difficulty of processing a photograph with proper light exposure. It’s a very happy moment and memory. I hope my bread helps people feel something like that, too."
After Wittenberg, Amanda, who participated in the Witt in Washington, D.C. program during her college experience, moved to the nation’s capital after graduation, earning a master’s degree in applied politics at American University and joining Hellerman Communications, a public relations agency for the legal industry. After a brief stint working on Capitol Hill with U.S. Representative of Ohio Bob Gibbs, she returned to Hellerman Communications and works remotely as vice president of client relations.
Michael worked at the Intellectual Property Owners Association in D.C., a job that inspired him to pursue a career in the legal field. He went on to earn an environmental law degree at Vermont Law School, where the couple lived for three years. When he graduated, they were expecting their first child and decided to move back to Ohio where he is now an assistant criminal prosecutor for the City of Cleveland.
Even though she works in PR, her love of flowers has never died. She shared that her passion stems from dancing and singing all around the Cleveland area while growing up and receiving bouquets after performances. She made a habit of buying fresh-cut flowers to make their house feel more like a home.
