Thistle’s Summit was born as Iowa’s Queerest B&B in Mount Vernon, Iowa with a passion for good food, inclusion and community. A strange turn of events including a derecho, a global pandemic and the health issues of her former partner- led owner, Marti Payseur, to transform her business into Iowa’s first gluten-free + vegan bakery, located in the heart of downtown Des Moines. Operating as a bakery full-time since 2020, Thistle’s Summit specializes in creating baked goods that taste nothing like compromise but are safe for just about anyone to enjoy. In addition to our storefront, you can find our baked goods throughout the Des Moines Metro at one of our many retail partners. We believe that dessert is for everyone regardless of how you eat or who you love. We belive in queer community and making Iowa a little safer and sweeter for everyone.

In 2023, Olio Oddities, owned by Megan Bannister, opened in the loft space of the bakery. Becoming Des Moines go-to shop for weird and wacky vintage, unique home goods and unusual decor. Olio Oddities is dedicated to bringing you colorful, eclectic goods to brighten your home & daily life. From vintage pieces to handmade items by a variety of artists & makers, we want to help you and your home stand out.

Stop by our retail location and see just how weird and wonderful life can be. Queer all year. LOVE YA, mean it!

Marti PaySeur

Chef & Recipe Developer

she/her

Like many young Virgos, Marti grew up faking illnessness to stay home from school to watch Martha Stewart. Not only did they share a name, Marti felt a deep kinship with her, like one day maybe she would like the life that other Martha had built. Holding a B.A. from Drake University in Writing and Women’s Studies, the path forward was clear- hospitality.

After a successful career in events + hospitality for over a decade, working for internationally recognized museums, she wanted to burn it down and work with her hands. She had no time to put her hands in flour, to pursue passions or to create tablescapes from the garden. Hell, she didn’t even have a garden. So she decided to hang it up, and forge ahead towards something different. She bought an old house in a tiny town and opened a B&B to serve the queer population in an idyllic safe space, and the rest is has been a long strange trip.

Now you can find her obsessively pursuing flavor and pleasure, listening to riot grrrl rock, swearing like a sailor and baking her ass off. Her life’s work is to make people feel seen, loved and taken care of (and to maybe to become the Alt Martha Stewart 🤞🏻).