Slice of Heaven offers cakes, pies, and neighborhood meals

NEKOOSA – Rebecca LaCount, owner and founder of Slice of Heaven in Nekoosa, said growing up, her desserts weren’t quite as extravagant as they are today.
“I grew up in a really large family where I was one of 16 kids. My parents didn’t have any money, and so if we wanted something sweet, we had to bake it ourselves,” she said.
By age nine, LaCount was baking her own breads and desserts, a hobby which she continued to foster but never foresaw becoming a career. She majored in music in college, and was working as a music teacher in Janesville when she began selling cookies, pound cakes, pies and cupcakes to help fund her teenagers’ mission trips. Once her kids came home, however, LaCount said people still wanted to buy her baked goods. Because Wisconsin required a separate kitchen for home baking, she rented a coffee shop kitchen in Janesville, where a friend and business owner taught her about pricing, finances and business operations.
“Two years in, we decided to move up to Wisconsin Rapids. So for the last 10 years, I’ve been growing the business,” LaCount said.
She continued to rent a kitchen until about four years ago, when a property became available. LaCount said at first, she was terrified.

“I was 49 at the time, and who starts a business when they’re 49?” She said. “But when we closed on the building, I started to cry. It was the first thing that I had ever bought on my own that my husband wasn’t attached to. I didn’t have to depend on his credit. I didn’t have to depend on his income. It was solely on me. It’s taken me 49 years to have something by myself, but I was so proud, and I told my daughters, you can do anything that you put your mind to.”
LaCount values in-person relationships with customers and views the bakery as a way to serve the community. The bakery hosts free Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, with donations directed to charity. Her commitment to giving away baked goods was inspired by a local bakery that supported her family for years after her sister’s death.
“When my sister Sue died, I was 12, and the local bakery stopped over with a massive box of bread, donuts and brownies. And the following week, they brought another box. And the week after that, and weeks after that, month after month, year after year, for 15,16 years,” LaCount said. “And whenever there was a birthday in the family, there just happened to be a day old cake in the box. I told my husband, if I ever open a bakery, I want it to be like that.”
LaCount has lived up to that promise, hosting free holiday meals every year and opening the doors of her bakery to those who need it most, even during the COVID-19 pandemic when business slowed.
“I feel very grateful to be able to give that to the community, give that to the people who keep the lights on here, and have been so kind and wonderful to me,” LaCount said.
Sweet treats, cakes, bread and more
LaCount makes near-endless options at Slice of Heaven that could please any sweet tooth, from classic pies and cakes to creative candies like reverse smores and roadkill krispies, a Halloween treat.
LaCount said one of her favorite sweets will always be their strawberry pie, which is made from a recipe passed down from her great grandmother. She still has the recipe card, which has a hand-drawn map on the back to the strawberry patch her great grandmother used to go to.
That isn’t the only recipe LaCount still uses that dates back to her family heritage.
“For every birthday, my grandma would make homemade angel food cake with seven minute frosting. It takes 12 egg whites, and so with the egg yolks, then she would make egg noodles or dumplings, and we would have chicken and dumplings or chicken noodle soup for dinner. And that’s the recipe that I use for my egg noodles,” she said.
A lasting legacy of community and sweetness
From baking out of necessity in a family of 18 to navigating entrepreneurship and owning her own business, Rebecca LaCount’s journey with Slice of Heaven reflects perseverance, passion and resilience. What began as a humble effort to fund mission trips has evolved into a beloved Nekoosa cornerstone where quality baked goods meet heartfelt generosity.
Today, Slice of Heaven stands as more than just a bakery; it is a testament to the power of giving back. By continuing to host free holiday meals, honor family traditions and support neighbors in need, LaCount ensures her business remains rooted in the very kindness that touched her life years ago, offering the community both a taste of home and a welcoming place for all.