Amanda Smyth is the owner of Amanda’s Country Bakery in Iroquois Ontario. She was one of the small business owners participating in the Canada Day 2025 celebrations in Morrisburg. From left: Amanda Smyth, and her daughter Madison. Tinkess Photo
SOUTH DUNDAS – Anyone who has ever taken the chance involved with opening your own business knows how much work is involved, and how there is no guarantee of success. All you can do is think, plan, work hard and have faith that you’re making the right decisions, all the time. But when the dream is something that you have carried around with you for a while, it isn’t really a choice. You are going to do it, and it is going to work. Period.
For Amanda Smyth, the idea finally came to fruition earlier this year.
“This has been a 20 plus year idea, rolling around in my head,” said Smyth, speaking between customers at the Canada Day 2025 celebration in Morrisburg. “Yeah, before the family, before Tom, when I was still young, it was something I’ve always wanted to do. I always had an interest in baking and cooking.”
It wasn’t just one of those warm, fuzzy thoughts that many people have, thinking about what it would be like to be their own boss. Smyth had gained practical experience to go along with her love of baking. “I’ve worked in several commercial kitchens, restaurants serving and in the kitchens from my very first job,” she said. “This is what I wanted to do.”
Many entrepreneurs, when reflecting on what propelled them on their chosen path can think of one “eureka” moment that provided the final push needed to stop thinking and start doing. What was it for Smyth? “I think just timing, it was time,” she said. “The kids are getting older, and I’ve been at a stay-at-home mom with them, other than a few little odd jobs. The timing now just seemed to fit to start doing it.”
“Doing it with the bake to order fresh gives me the opportunity to have flexible hours so I can still help with the kids,” she continues. “My youngest is nine. I can still help with them. We also help take care of Tom’s mom, so it gives me my flexibility and hours that I can go in and bake when I need to, but I can still drop and go to an event or kids. There are four kids, three play hockey, three play baseball, so it’s busy, but this gives me the flexibility so I can fit my orders in. In between all the hustle.”
On top of this, the Smyths farm, and husband Tom is a South Dundas Councillor, so busy doesn’t really capture the urgency that is a part of every day.
One thing that helps is that Amanda’s Country bakery is located in a newly built, health unit certified and insured commercial kitchen on the family’s homestead in Iroquois. The 600-square-foot space is outfitted with multiple ovens, roomy prep areas, and everything she needs to bake more of what her clients love.
According to Smyth, her specialties are pastries and squares. “I do dessert trays, date squares are very popular at markets as well as my roly polys, but pastry is definitely my specialty.”
And custom orders are not a problem. “Everything I’m geared towards is fresh made to order,” says Smyth. “We have a website that just launched, and everything is on the website by menu, and it’s made to order. You place your order and within 48 hours, I’ll have it ready.”
Amanda’s Country Bakery is located on the family farm in Iroquois. The best way to contact her is by phone 613-371-7959, email hello@amandascountrybakery.com, text or right through the website amandascountrybakery.com.
Things are going well, and Smyth is very happy she made to decision to pursue her dream. “The kids, family and friends have enjoyed my baking for years, so they may have helped to push a little bit too,” she says with a smile.
They say that if you can manage to do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. For Amanda and the Smyth family, it seems to be working out that way.
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Terry Tinkess is a professional photographer, educator and journalist. He has been making a living with a camera and keyboard since 1999 and has been featured in such publications as The Ottawa Citizen, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, The Globe and Mail, The Miami Herald, Ottawa Construction News, The Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Home Builder Magazine, Reed Construction Data, Canadian Potato Business and most recently, The Record and Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Terry lives in Ingleside, Ontario with his wife Brenda, Mia the anxious Pittie and cats Wally and Chubbers.