Who am I?
Dawn Ferguson, Owner
Rising Sun Artisan Foods
I am a proud wife to Scott and I am Mom to my precious twin adult boys (Conner and Parker). I have always had a passion for bringing people together through gatherings and food. I am a creative artistic soul, with a love for cooking, interior decorating, party planning and organizing. In my spare time, I love trying new restaurants, listening to live music, traveling, hiking in the mountains, boating, and being in the great outdoors. I have a Business Management degree, with a Marketing minor. I have taught college-level classes in the past, and have always enjoyed instructing and guiding others. I am a natural-born leader who never meets a stranger. I am also a very simple person. My previous career roles include Banking, Real Estate, Marketing, and Teaching. I was raised by small business owners in the restaurant business. I began working at their restaurant at age 10 and my parents taught me the foundation of cooking. I am a self-taught chef with decades of experience. My food business allows me to combine all the things I love, while serving others.
During the pandemic, I teamed up with a friend to create an online Facebook community (Healthy From Home) to help others cook healthy meals from home through online videos, tutorials, and recipes. Many parents found themselves at home with children needing three meals a day, and just weren't sure where to start. This community grew very quickly and became a positive source for many. I used my hand-crafted seasonings and sauces in many of the videos, which sparked interest from followers wanting to purchase the products. Rising Sun Artisan Foods was born in 2020, in the middle of a pandemic. I am still proud of myself for creating something so amazing during one of the worst times for our country, all based on helping others during a difficult time. I like to think I used lemons and made lemonade. I never looked back.
Rising Sun Artisan Foods’ mission is to create gluten-free seasonings and whole food short-cut ingredients to make healthy meals that are less time consuming. We vow to always use “ingredients as pure as the SUN”, while never skimping on quality.
Why did I choose this career?
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2015. Following my diagnosis, I immediately moved to a gluten-free diet. I then began a journey to meet with naturopaths, integrative doctors, authors, health coaches, dieticians, and fitness experts. I also researched diet, nutrition, overall health, our cells, genetic mutations, hormones, insulin resistance, and overall longevity of life. My research prompted me to move to a whole-food diet, with as little sugar as possible. I quickly found that a gluten-free diet was often filled with additives, preservatives, and packaged items. During this time I studied the Blood Type Diet as a Type O blood type and had very much success with it. This showed me my biggest issue was wheat (goes hand-in-hand with gluten). I carried this whole-food approach into my business with a new mission and passion. Our Facebook group is a place where we share all of our pearls of wisdom on health and wellness.
Rising Sun Artisan Foods' mission is to create gluten-free seasonings and whole food short-cut ingredients to make healthy meals that are less time consuming. We vow to always use "ingredients that are as pure as the SUN", while never skimping on quality. Our passion extends into education through teaching our customers how to read food labels, meal plan, store food and leftovers, grocery shop, and create recipes. In 2024, we launched Cooking Classes for the Dubois County Health Department, Traditional Arts Today, and a few other organizations.
In 2025, we opened a small storefront within our Commercial Kitchen space. Due to this addition, we quickly lost room for on-site Cooking Classes. We now keep those classes off-site and offer them seasonally.
In 2026, we expanded our storefront to include many brands that I had personally used and loved over the years as a convenience for our customers. I have always felt it a duty to share any goodness that I find with others. By purchasing direct through our storefront, you receive discounted prices and save the shipping fees. We are a proud partner to the following brands:
Rowe Casa Organics
Winchell Honey
TRUVANI
Little Seed Farm
Desert Aqua kitchen towels
Bocce's natural dog treats
EVO oil sprayers
Joie kitchen gadgets