“I love that there’s a strong sense of community in this area. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of.”
The Lynn Sisters—Tara, Erica, Natalie and Amy—grew up together on an old farm in Bloomsburg, surrounded by plenty of space to roam and explore together. With German and Italian heritage on both sides, food was always at the heart of their family. They spent countless hours in the kitchen with their mom, who taught them to cook and passed down a deep love for food, family and community. Their grandmother, who immigrated to the United States as a teenager, started a catering business at just 15, weaving food into their family story long before the sisters were born. Growing up without modern distractions, they became a tight-knit group — a “tribe,” as they call themselves — and today consider each other their closest friends.
They’d dreamed for years about doing something together, and this holiday season, that dream became The Lynn Sisters Holiday Cookie Box, a collaboration rooted in their shared heritage. Each sister brings ideas, recipes, and inspiration, and together they’ve created a specialty box filled with thoughtful, elevated cookies designed for hosting, gifting and celebrating. It’s a project built on the same values they were raised with—family and community.
And separately, each sister is juggling her own life, family and work. Tara Siegel lives in Shavertown with her husband and three children and works as Vice President of Marketing for Lewith & Freeman Real Estate. Erica lives in Clarks Summit with her husband and two children, running a weekly meal club and teaching children’s cooking classes at The Gathering Place. Natalie is an entrepreneur and co-owner of The Canning House, founder of Counterpart Kombucha, and is involved with Powerhouse Eatery and Ovalon Bar & Grill. She lives in Wapwallopen with her partner, Connor. Amy, a pastry chef who spent years cooking in Portland, now lives in Dallas with her husband and young daughter.
We met at The Canning House, where the sisters assembled a cookie box together. They’re thrilled to share that same sense of connection as they build a new community around their Holiday Cookie Box and share their story with us — answering our questions along the way, including Why NEPA?
How long have you lived in NEPA?
All: All of our lives. Born and raised, really. It’s always been home.
What do you love about your town?
Amy: I live in Dallas, and I’ve been just so fortunate that we live so close to the accessibility of so much local food. So within 10 minutes of my house, I can go to Hillside Farms and get my milk and my butter. I go to Brace’s Orchard right now and I get my apples. I go to this lovely farm stand a few minutes from my house called The Farm Basket, and I get local eggs and produce.
And in the summer, I walk to the Dallas Farmers Market from my house. So I’m so appreciative, and I love so much that we have this amount of local food and products so close to where we live. I take full advantage of it. I get everything I possibly can from these local producers and local stands, especially in the summer. I just love pulling over on the side of the road and getting corn, eggs, and everything that’s available. And that’s what’s beautiful about this area: the four seasons, and they all offer something.
What’s your favorite NEPA restaurant?
Natalie: Of course, The Canning House. It’s my baby. So, big sweet spot going out for dinner — Powerhouse Eatery is pretty obvious for me. I think it’s the perfect combination of steakhouse fare and still keeping things creative. It’s kind of my perfect balance of places to dine out. Huge Bar Pazzo fan. It is one of my favorite spots. If I’m going towards Scranton, that’s where I’m going. And as more of a daytime lunch spot, Red Leaf. All day, Red Leaf.
All: Yeah! We love Red Leaf.
Tara: I’m shouting out the Greek Shack.
All: Oh! We love the Greek Shack!
Tara: I love him. I love his family. Their food is so good. He’s the friendliest man. Everyone’s family there.
Natalie: As a fun side note, I had ordered that via DoorDash the other day, and I actually caught the DoorDasher — it was handed to me. And as she was handing it, she said, “The guy at the Greek Shack says hi, by the way.” This is exactly why he’s amazing.
What’s your favorite thing to do in NEPA?
Erica: I lived in California for several years, and something I really missed about this area were the four seasons. My family and I love to do adventures outside and in the outdoor spaces. We spend a lot of time at Lackawanna State Park and the Countryside Conservancy preserves. We enjoy hiking, mountain biking, fishing, paddle boarding, and skiing.
I also love exploring local coffee shops and pizza places. Pizza is another thing I really missed while we lived in California. There’s just not good pizza there. Two of my favorites are Rosario’s and Gio’s in Clark Summit. We go there a lot.
I love that there’s a strong sense of community in this area. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. The Gathering Place in Clark Summit offers a variety of classes and activities for all ages and interests. And I recently started teaching classes there for children, which I really enjoy.
I also love the Scranton Cultural Center. Having access to Broadway shows and all the entertainment that they offer without the stress of a big city is so amazing.
What’s next for you?
Erica: I think we’re already thinking about the future with this business. You know, other holidays coming up, St. Patrick’s Day…
Natalie: With each of us having our own input into this and all of our unique talents and gifts, I think that there’s so much potential for us to have a lot of fun with this. There’s a lot of magic when you can find the right people and put them together and build something. I know we all are excited to kind of see where this goes.
I typically start and do things a little bit backwards. I see the whole thing, and then it’s just like, how do we do it? So I can see a lot of potential for us to really have fun with this, pour ourselves into it, make some new connections with people, and grow a community. Which is, I think, at the base, what this is about — community. We have friends and family that aren’t local to NEPA. So I think it’s a really exciting opportunity to be able to share this with them. You know, logistics and all of that. I’m a pretty stubbornly big dreamer. So I think there’s…
Tara: She’ll figure it out.
Natalie: We all will. I mean, that’s where teamwork comes in. It’s a collective.
Tara: It’s doable. Everything’s doable.
Natalie: Yep, totally. And we have pretty much everything we need between us. We’re a good team.
Where do you see NEPA heading in the future?
Tara: I’m a big believer in NEPA. I think we are going to continue to see growth in this region from inside this region. I think that we have what we need right here. The education’s here, the culture’s here, the art is here. We have such drive and hardworking people in this area who believe in it. So many businesses are built here and grow here, and that’s not on accident. I think it has to do with the tenacity of the workforce. I believe very deeply that we’re going to see this area continue to grow in all sectors.
Why NEPA?
Tara: I think there’s something about the culture of Northeastern Pennsylvania that matches our family culture. We’re a hardworking group. We love each other fiercely. We were raised to lead with kindness and to follow the golden rule. And we’ve always known that everyone has a story. It’s our place to welcome everyone at our table. That’s very much how we were raised.
Our family on both sides immigrated to the United States — on our dad’s side, our German side, during the Holocaust. Both grandparents escaped and came to the United States when they were teenagers, so that’s where our tenacity came from. On our mom’s side, we have an Italian immigrant story filled with multi-generational homes, canned goods in the basement, a garden to supply everything you’d need for seasons to come. And I think that just matches Northeastern Pennsylvania.
When I think of Northeastern Pennsylvania, I think of grit. A lot of people talk about our proximity to major metropolitan areas, and I love that. I love going to a show. I love going to a good restaurant in New York. But what I love about Northeastern Pennsylvania is it is such a wonderful place to call home. People are kind, generous, and full of grit. It has gifted each of us with a beautiful life. We love NEPA!
