An autoimmune disease won’t stop this Washington City baker from sharing her recipes with the world

Written by Jessi Bang
May 8, 2023

ST. GEORGE — One baker is sharing her delicious recipes in a unique way with products that may surprise you.

Camille Fackrell takes a family photo with her son Jace and husband John inside their home in Washington City, Utah, April 27, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Camille Fackrell takes a family photo with her son Jace and husband John inside their home in Washington City, Utah, April 27, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Camille Fackrell, the owner of Mix It Up – a made-from-scratch baking mix company – has an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. She said the disease makes it difficult to be on her feet for long periods. Because she can only perform tasks in small spurts, she has to be extremely careful about how she manages her time and energy.

“Basically, my joints are slowly fusing together and I have a lot of hip pain and general joint pain,” Fackrell said. “But I also have very bad chronic fatigue, so I’m tired all the time.”

As challenging as the disease’s symptoms are, she hasn’t let it stop her.

Fackrell said she always loved baking and has dreamt of having her own bakery since she was a child. When she became a mom, Fackrell said she knew motherhood and health issues wouldn’t allow her the time required to open a shop any time soon.

Soft Pretzel mix by Mix It Up sits on a table in Washington City, Utah, April 27, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Soft Pretzel mix by Mix It Up sits on a table in Washington City, Utah, April 27, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

The idea for a baking mix business started in 2020 when a few booth spaces were open for a craft fair at home in Burley, Idaho. While she had no experience as a business owner, her neighbor encouraged her to create a business plan and become a vendor. 

That’s when she devised the idea for baking mixes, which required less time than baked goods while allowing her to share her recipes with the world and be creative with her presentation. She only had three weeks to develop a business idea, come up with a name, test all of her products and figure out her brand packaging. 

“It was kind of a wild three weeks, but it was a lot of fun,” Fackrell said. “I love the creativity of it. I love that I can do what I want to do and just experiment with things.”

After all the work she put in to prepare for the fair, she was disappointed when the event coincided with the COVID-19 lockdown, and no one showed up. But that didn’t stop her either. She continued to make baking mixes, and when the farmers market and festivals reopened, she hit the ground running.

Baking mixes by Mix It Up are on display at the downtown farmers market in St. George, Utah, April 28, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Camille Fackrell via Instagram, St. George News
Baking mixes by Mix It Up are on display at the downtown farmers market in St. George, Utah, April 28, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Camille Fackrell via Instagram, St. George News

Mix It Up now offers a variety of mixes:  cake, cookie, bread and edible cookie dough. Flavors of edible cookie dough include lemon blueberry brownie, coconutty dream, chocolate chip and sprinkle sugar.

All mixes are made from scratch with no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or bleached flour and come from Fackrell’s personal recipes. in the three years the business has been in operation, lemon poppy zucchini bread has been one of her top sellers.

Despite her diagnosis, Fackrell has been able to adapt, since she determines when and how much she works.

“It’s very difficult for me to hold a traditional job because I can’t be consistent — show up at this time, leave at this time, be able to work throughout the whole day, because my energy levels just don’t maintain,” she said. “I can’t be the kind of productive employee someone would expect. This is a way to work on my own schedule while listening to my body.”

She and her family moved to St. George one month ago from Nothern Utah and have been blown away by the St. George Downtown Farmers Market. Between the supportive vendors and the supportive community, they say there’s no other place they’d rather be. 

Edible cookie dough by Mix It Up sit on a baking sheet, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Camille Fackrell, St. George News
Edible cookie dough by Mix It Up sits on a baking sheet, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Camille Fackrell, St. George News

As for one of the best parts about owning her own business, Fackrell said it allows her the flexibility to be home with her family. She enjoys collaborating with her husband and using him as a sounding board for new ideas. He keeps her grounded and encourages her to take some steps back when necessary so she doesn’t become overwhelmed, and for that, she’s grateful.

“It’s just really fun to dream with him and come up with new ideas,” Fackrell said.

“I’ve been amazed at her and the ideas she’s come up with,” her husband John added.

The Fackrells can be seen running the Mix It Up booth together at the St. George Downtown Market on Saturdays. To order from Mix It Up directly, message @mixitupbake on Instagram.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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