Making Home (& Bread) From Scratch: Meet Natalia Iakovleva
Watch Episode 25 of
The Max Loves Midland Show
Natalia Iakovleva, In Her Own Words:
"My name is Natalia Iakovleva, and I’m one of the four owners of Chef Sergey’s Bakery in Midland, Michigan. Alongside my husband, Maga Miakiiev, and our dear friends Sergey and Christina Pokanevych, we’ve created a place that is more than just a bakery—it’s a labor of love, a healing space, and a dream come true, not just for us, but for our entire community.
We opened Chef Sergey’s in 2025, just a couple of years after fleeing Ukraine and arriving here with our family, no credit history and no financial stability. We brought experience in hospitality, a deep love for quality food, and a vision to serve people something meaningful. The bakery was born from that vision—and from necessity. When we first arrived, both our families went to the grocery stores here, looking for bread that reminded us of home. Bread in Ukraine is sacred. There’s a saying: “Bread is the head of everything.” It starts every meal, every day. But the bread we found in stores here didn’t taste like food. It was lifeless. We couldn’t find a single loaf that gave us that nourishing, energizing feeling.
That hunger—spiritual, cultural, and literal—sparked something in us. Both of our families had run restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops back home. The moment we met here for the first time, we saw that spark in each other. Within 15 minutes of talking, we decided: Let’s build something real here together.
Opening a business in the United States as immigrants was not easy. In Ukraine, business was familiar. We knew the steps. Here, we quickly realized how little we understood about the system. We wrote a business plan, did the math, and had the vision, but no bank would give us a loan. We had no credit history. We owned nothing. We were just four immigrants with a dream. And still, every door seemed to close in our faces.
That’s when the Midland Area Community Foundation stepped in with its impact investing program—and truly changed everything. That investment saved our lives. It was the one opportunity we had. Without it, this bakery would not exist. It gave us a ticket not just to open a business but to stay in this country, to build a future, and to give back.
We didn’t know much about impact investing before this, but now, I believe in it with all my heart. It’s more than money—it’s trust. And that trust is sacred. It’s why we care so deeply about every detail. Our team, now 15 people strong, is young, diverse, and passionate. Many had no food industry experience, but they believed in us, just like the Foundation did. Some were planning to leave Midland—but now, they’re staying. They feel seen. They feel proud. They feel at home.
Even before the bakery officially opened, we worked nonstop, baking from home and giving samples to friends to see how people would react. When we finally opened our doors—in the middle of winter, with no advertising—the line wrapped around the building. People waited for hours in the cold, day after day. We weren’t ready, but they were. They were prepared for something honest, fresh, and made with love.
We believe in “the art of scratch”—everything we make is made from real ingredients, by hand, with purpose. Our bread goes through a three-day fermentation process. It’s alive. It feeds your body and your gut microbiome. I even joke that we should give every customer a piece of whole grain bread before they leave—so they can feed their gut before bed.
Midland deserves this. And our dream is much bigger than one bakery. We want to build a training hub, teach others what we know, and raise the bar alongside other businesses in our area. We want to create a full-service restaurant someday where everything is made from scratch. And more than anything, I want our philosophy to grow—that it’s okay to care deeply about quality, that it’s okay to spend more time, use better ingredients, and earn a little less if it means serving something truly good.
We hope that Chef Sergey’s becomes more than a bakery. We want it to be a standard-setter, a gathering place, and a sign that good things can grow here. Already, we’ve seen the energy return to the Circle and Center City. It was sleeping before—but now it’s waking up. I dream of festivals, outside seating filled with neighbors laughing and connecting, and young people staying in Midland not because they have to but because they want to.
My biggest hope for Midland is that our story inspires others to believe in possibilities, that more young people feel empowered to bring their ideas here, and that this city becomes a hidden garden—quiet, beautiful, and full of life.
We’ve found a home in Midland. Now, we want to help make it even more magical."
Do you have a Midland County story you would like to tell that aligns with our vision?