Rising to the Occasion

Levain It Up Sourdough Bakery sits inside what was once the Tunnel Stop shop in High Rolls Mountain Park, just down the hill from Cloudcroft. Behind the counter, Garrett Barnett and Steven Jackson shape loaves with practiced hands while flour dusts the metal countertops and the aroma of fresh-baked bread fills the building.

The couple moved from Las Cruces seeking a fresh start — and found it in a rent-to-own building that needed serious rehabilitation. With help from family, they rewired, rebuilt, and transformed the space into a working bakery in a matter of months. Now mountain locals and Highway 82 travelers line up each weekend for croissants, sourdough loaves, and rotating seasonal bakes.

Just four months in, Levain It Up is already ahead of schedule, hiring staff well before the timeline most people predicted. The starters are ancient, the process is slow, and the bread is worth the drive.

🍞 Sourdough 🥐 Croissants 🏔️ High Rolls 👨‍🍳 From Scratch 📅 Fri–Sun
Levain It Up Sourdough Bakery in High Rolls, New Mexico

Meet the Bakers

Two people, one shared vision, and a building that needed as much rebuilding as they did.

Co-Owner & Head Baker

Garrett Barnett

Garrett spent three years as kitchen manager at Kind Bread Co. in Las Cruces, honing his sourdough craft while simultaneously working on-call biohazard crime scene cleaning. The toll of that work eventually became too much to carry. When he and Steven discovered a rent-to-own building in High Rolls — a place he’d driven past countless times visiting his mother in Cloudcroft — he knew it was time to go all in on bread. Now he tends starters that are over a century old, laminating croissants and shaping loaves late into the night. He calls himself a sucker for process, and every loaf passes through his hands at least five times.

Co-Owner & Operations

Steven Jackson

Steven came to the bakery after five years working at garden centers in Las Cruces, following twelve years in home health care. When Garrett told him they were opening a bakery, the decision was already made. Steven handles operations, works the counter, and keeps the building running — a job that started with helping family members rewire and repair a space that squatters had damaged over two years. He’s the steady hand behind the scenes, making sure the storefront is ready each weekend when the mountain folks come looking for their sourdough fix.

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Profile by Hannah Dean. This story is part of the People of the Mountains series on DiscoverCloudcroft.com, profiling the makers, builders, and dreamers who call the Sacramento Mountains home.

Dough, Ancient and Alive

Sourdough is a living tradition. At Levain It Up, the starters have names, the process takes days, and nothing is rushed.

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The Starters

Living cultures with names, personalities, and histories that stretch back generations.

  • Queen — at least 130 years old ⭐
  • Doughlores
  • Matildough
  • Doughlene
  • Coming soon: Gluten-Free Glucinda
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The Process

Slow fermentation, hand shaping, and no shortcuts. This is bread on its own schedule.

  • 5–8 steps per loaf
  • Some products take 8 days start to finish
  • 27-layer croissants ⭐
  • Multiple laminations, rests, and proofs
  • Every loaf handled at least 5 times
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The Menu

Rotating bakes based on seasonal flavors and the baker’s inspiration. Follow their Facebook for weekly updates.

  • Sourdough Loaves
  • Croissants ⭐
  • Bagels
  • Cookies
  • Take-and-Prove Pizza Dough
  • Seasonal specials (sugar-plum roll & more)
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Where does the extra bread go? Leftover loaves go to feed local Gloria Griffin’s highland cows — a perk of mountain life that makes both the bakers and the cows happy.

Highlights

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Living Sourdough

The bakery’s oldest starter, Queen, is at least 130 years old. Each loaf carries a thread of living history, fermented slowly and shaped by hand. This is bread with a lineage.

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Mountain Community

Family rewired the building. Mom helps with the dishes. Extra bread feeds the neighbor’s highland cows. Levain It Up is woven into the fabric of High Rolls in a way that only a small-town bakery can be.

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A Fresh Start

Garrett and Steven traded difficult careers in Las Cruces for mountain air and sourdough starters. Their story is one of reinvention — proof that sometimes the best thing you can do is start over.

Visit Levain It Up

Everything you need to know before you go.

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Location

The old Tunnel Stop building, High Rolls Mountain Park, NM. On Highway 82 between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft — you’ve probably driven past it.

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Hours

Open Friday through Sunday. Hours and availability may vary by season. Check their Facebook page for current weekend hours and holiday schedules.

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Contact

Follow Levain It Up Sourdough Bakery on Facebook for weekly menu updates, holiday hours, and new bake announcements.

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Good to Know

Everything is baked in small batches and popular items sell out. Arrive early in the day for the best selection, especially if you’re after croissants. Cash and card accepted.

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On the way up? Levain It Up is right on Highway 82 between Alamogordo and Cloudcroft. Stop for a loaf on your way into the mountains — it’s the perfect excuse to start your weekend early.

Flour, Time, and Mountain Air

Levain It Up is what happens when two people trade everything they know for a building that needs work, starters that need feeding, and a community that needs bread. Open Friday through Sunday in High Rolls.