Steven and Nicole Bujewski (and their dog, Ruby) are the tenth owners of Spensley Farm, a property with a history so rich that it has earned a spot on the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.
Nicole is trained in the L’Art de la Pâtisserie program at the French Pastry School in Chicago. After earning her certificate, Nicole opened a small neighborhood bakery specializing in pastries, breads and cakes. She joined the French Pastry School as a chef instructor in 2013 teaching in both the L’Art de la Pâtisserie and L’Art du Gâteau programs. She currently serves as the Instructional Content Director of The Butter Book, the school’s online educational portal which offers subscribers courses and lessons on becoming better bakers from her remote home in the Driftless region of Mineral Point.
Steven, an avid gardener, has an extensive knowledge of nature and can identify an amazing number of specific trees, plants, grasses, and birds. In his spare time, Steven enjoys a wide range of outdoor pursuits, including canoeing, hiking and camping. He also loves to travel, with his favorite places being Alaska and the Boundary Waters, straddling the U.S.-Canada border between Minnesota and Ontario. Steven successfully reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, at a height of 19,341 feet, in 2016. And like his wife, Nicole, he is an amazing cook.
With an eye towards becoming a Southwestern Wisconsin premier culinary destination, the Bujewski’s envision Spensley Farm becoming the setting for small social gatherings, pop-up dinners and extraordinary culinary events. Their goal is to educate and inspire others to achieve cooking excellence while making an important contribution to the Driftless Area’s land and community.
Spensley Farm
Spensley Farm, located in Mineral Point, Wisconsin was named for James Spensley, a British immigrant from Yorkshire, who established the farm in 1856. For 50 years, Spensley was a prominent businessman in Mineral Point, making his livelihood as a successful smelter and farmer and serving for some time in the Wisconsin State Legislature. At its largest, the farm was 480 acres and the farmstead changed ownership several times during the 20th century, at which time various parcels were divided and sold.
Spensley Farm now refers to a 17-acre property with several structures, including the 1850s stone farmhouse, a classic red barn, and a smaller stone home dating back to the 1830s. The property was added to the State Register of Historic Places in 1996 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Steven and Nicole Bujewski became the tenth owners of the property in 2018.