High school sweethearts, chasing a dream.

Justin and Payton grew up just a few miles apart, Justin in Mariemont and Payton in Terrace Park, and began dating while attending Mariemont High School.

Payton has been baking for as long as she can remember. Her dad, Jeff, still calls her “Sweet P,” a childhood nickname that followed her into the family business. Even while earning her master’s degree in speech-language pathology, she continued perfecting the recipe and technique that would eventually define Baked by Brown Butter: rich, carefully browned butter and cookies made to be shared.

Justin saw what Payton could build before she fully saw it herself. He encouraged her to take her talent seriously, pushed her to chase the dream of building something of her own, and promised they would figure out the rest together. From the beginning, Baked by Brown Butter has been a shared pursuit, combining Payton’s creativity and love of baking with Justin’s drive to build the business, develop partnerships, and create opportunities for it to grow.

They started small. Their first setup was a tent near Torch Lake, and their first corporate order was 25 holiday boxes for Mariemont Capital. Last year, they delivered more than 700 boxes in a single day.

Today, Justin and Payton are married, cofounders, and partners in every sense of the word. Together, they are continuing to grow Baked by Brown Butter in the community that raised them, one batch, one customer, and one partnership at a time.