Hi! My name is Paula Bock, and I am a culinary professional of 30 years. As a child growing up in the suburbs of Chicago I spent plenty of time helping my French mother in the kitchen as well as getting my hands dirty in the vegetable garden with my dad. Inevitably, cooking and growing real food quickly became my lifelong passion and work.

From 1994 until 2006, I threw myself into restaurant work: cooking savories and sweets at several outstanding farm-to-table restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area including Greens, La Toque, Terra, and Chez Panisse. When I realized I was ready to start a family and settle down, my husband and I discovered the Columbia River Gorge and decided to make Hood River our home in 2007. While juggling our new home DIY remodel, raising a child, and building an enormous vegetable garden, I also worked for the highly acclaimed local establishments including Polly's Cakes, Celilo Restaurant and Cultivate Catering. In 2013, after much careful considering, I launched Windflower Cakes with the aim to make wedding cakes to be as delicious as possible by using only high quality ingredients; and with simple, elegant design suitable for outdoor and rustic weddings characteristic of our majestic mountainous, forested and rural setting. With years of professional expertise in cooking and baking as well as personal relationships with local farmers, I’ve developed a knowledgeable palate for delicious foods and a true understanding of quality ingredients.

When I'm not baking, running the business, meeting new couples, cooking for my family or keeping up with the garden, I can be found rock climbing, telemark skiing, or trail running with my husband, 16 year old daughter, and our 6 year old Mini Aussie!