From Prison to Pastries: A Second Chance Story

Casey Vanderhoef spent nearly two decades in restaurants before prison changed his path. While behind bars, he turned to cooking classes and business training, dreaming up a doughnut shop. But moving to a halfway house in Ogden came with a catch—no deep fryers meant no doughnuts. So he switched gears and started making cinnamon rolls instead. For six months, he baked rolls daily for his halfway house neighbors. "I just kept doing it because it made people happy, " he later explained. His love for baking came from a simple truth: Food, especially cinnamon rolls, has a way of brightening even the toughest moments. Behind bars, he found joy in feeding others. Outside, he realized the same passion could fuel a business. Starting over with a felony record isn’t easy. Vanderhoef knows the struggle well—job applications would often ignore his skills because of his past. "They’d say, ‘We like what you’ve done, but not your background, ’" he shared. Yet with a startup, he didn’t have to wait in line for permission. He just started working.His break came when a food wholesaler tested his rolls and asked a key question: Could they be frozen and reheated later? That small question led to Rize Sweet Rolls, named after the idea of rising from hardship. His mission? To fill homes with the smell of his kitchen-made cinnamon rolls. The first big order was daunting—5, 300 rolls for a single client. At the time, his team hadn’t even made 100 rolls in one batch. Scaling up meant long days: 1, 000 rolls in four days, then three. Their final push hit 900 rolls in 14 hours, fueled by energy drinks and his wife’s help. The contract gave them a kitchen space and two grocery partners. Freedom after prison brings its own challenges. Vanderhoef admitted relearning life outside was tough. Solitude felt scary at first, but rebuilding connections helped. "Some days, I still stop and think, ‘I can’t believe I’m not back there, ’" he said. His advice to others with criminal records? Don’t wait for approval. "If you’ve got an idea, just start. It’ll be messy, it’ll be hard—but it’s doable. "