Personal Space

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JOHN SYKES JR. - Personal Space - Paula Dempsey, owner and baker at Dempsey Bakery, and her dog Annie. Her favorite space is her kitchen.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JOHN SYKES JR. - Personal Space - Paula Dempsey, owner and baker at Dempsey Bakery, and her dog Annie. Her favorite space is her kitchen.

Paula Dempsey

Where I live: I live on 15 acres in the Heights neighborhood of Little Rock in the middle of a rock quarry that was mined in the 1940s. My husband, Demp, and I share our home with our Morkie (a Maltese-Yorkie mix) named Annie and our outside patrol cat named Smokey.

Occupation: I own Dempsey Bakery, which does not use gluten, wheat, soy or nuts for people with food sensitivities. It has also turned into a bakery for those who want desserts and bread that are made from scratch and contain no preservatives.

My favorite space: My kitchen, which should come as no surprise to my family and friends.

Why? I had no idea when we remodeled the kitchen that it would be so conducive to many cooks. I love to cook and have a meal in the Crock-Pot every Sunday for whomever stops by. I have three daughters-in-law and when they are over, we are all in the kitchen preparing dinner and we never get in each other's way. The grandchildren are running through and around the center island while we are getting dinner ready. The guys are in the living room watching sports, and the girls are in the kitchen cooking and catching up. It's a very happy place.

If I could change one thing to improve this space, I would: Build an office nook where I can pay bills, check emails and research recipes -- all at the same time.

-- Libby Smith

HomeStyle on 08/09/2014

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