What started as childhood memories for Brylie Link in the kitchen helping her mom and grandma has blossomed into a budding small business for one local baker. “I always wanted to be a part of the baking they were doing, and once I got older, I realized that I could share my talent with other people by taking custom orders and creating Christmas goodie boxes,” Brylie shared. The 17-year-old baker is the daughter of Todd and Linsay Link of Wagner.

“When she was about 7 or 8, she really started looking at cookbooks and finding recipes to make,” said her mom, Linsay. “She would make them mostly on her own!”

After years of baking for family, friends, and fulfilling special orders, Brylie took a leap with her first-ever popup bakery event in downtown Wagner—and the community showed up in a big way. 'I was nervous and excited,' she said. 'I just hoped everything would turn out well and that people would enjoy it.'

Hosted in a cozy Wagner Main Street storefront, the event was made possible thanks to Tera Koupal, owner of Koupal Kitchen, who not only offered her space but helped prepare and support the young baker every step of the way. The shop was filled with tempting treats: muffins, scones, donuts, banana breads, strawberry cookies, mini bundt cakes, and the crowd favorite—blueberry scones and mini donuts. Within just two hours, everything was sold out.

“I was in shock at how many people came to support me. It was such a great experience and I am so thankful. It felt like I was really running a bakery— and it was truly awesome!”

“It was pretty exciting—we were happy for her,” said Linsay. “But also, it can be stressful. A lot of time goes into planning, shopping, and several days of baking to prepare.” While Brylie handles the baking and decorating herself, her mom helped her with offering advice, being her calm when she was doubting herself, and “assembled A LOT of to-go boxes,” she said . “I did zero baking or cleaning up my kitchen. That’s all her!”

Over the years, Linsay has watched her daughter’s baking skills flourish. “She’s learned a lot. A lot of trial and error, remaking recipes or tweaking them. She’s starting to figure things out and honestly—she can bake way better than me!” Her mom’s personal favorite? “Her coconut cream pie. The toasted coconut on top is amazing!”

The most memorable part of the pop-up wasn’t just the success, it was the support from the community. “Honestly, we are so grateful!” Linsay said. “There is so much behind the scenes to planning something like this, and then executing it, and the community really showed up for her.”

As Brylie eyes more pop-ups in the future, she’s working on launching a Facebook page to keep her supporters updated.

Linsay’s advice for other parents whose kids have a dream: “Let them go! It may be a lot of hard work, but if your child is determined enough, they’ll succeed.”

And what makes her most proud of her daughter? “A lot of things make me proud of her,” she said. “But her drive for a 17-year-old is pretty remarkable. She’s not afraid to work, and she’s putting herself out there to an entire community, and she’s happy doing it.”

With talent, heart, and hometown support on her side, Brylie Link’s baking journey is just getting started, and Wagner is ready for more.