The Birth of a Bakery

Today we welcome contributor Liz Petruska to the GFS family with her story of three women who up and did what a lot of us dream about: opening a bakery in scenic Maine. Spoiler alert: the Village Bakery and Cafe made its debut this summer, and we hope she’ll be back to share more stories of life as an entrepreneur as the business grows.

Seven months ago, over beer and ping pong, on a chilly January night, our new bakery was born. The idea was to keep it simple, to gather our recipes, mixers and aprons and start…from scratch. Our journey since then seems epic to us, three friends who share a love of baking and love to share tasty treats with others, but really our adventure has just begun.

On July 2, my two partners and I opened the Village Bakery and Cafe in the small coastal village of Waldoboro, Maine. The town was in need of a place for people to gather, and quite simply, to get a decent cup of coffee. Meanwhile, we were looking for an opportunity to pursue our passion for baking.

The last few months have been a challenge, to say the least, and seemed to be about everything but baking. We spent countless hours painting, planning and testing the boundaries of group decision-making, only to have the health inspector walk in two days before our scheduled opening and say, “Oh, I thought you were ready to open.”

There were a few heart-sinking moments like that along the way, but also exhilarating ones too, like firing up the oven for the first time. I’ve gone from using several hundred minutes on my cell phone for a whole year to needing several thousand–a defining moment in my life and a good representation of how time in my life as changed–always on call.

We’ve learned a lot about the ins and outs of starting a new business and now finally are able to learn more about baking–like how to get a real golden crust on our bagels, the tricks to the new convection oven, and how to survive in a hot kitchen in 90? weather. Our freshly baked goods are gobbled up daily by friends and new faces and we’re starting to figure out how much to order–we go through at least 75 pounds of flour weekly and what seems like countless sticks of butter.

I take pleasure each morning in the bounty on display and welcome the opportunity and challenge to try to new recipes. But equally satisfying is being part of our neighborhood, to be a place where friends and colleagues can meet, a place that offers a little extra life to the downtown. The home kitchen has become a central place for families and friends to gather and we hope to be the same for Waldoboro. We are grateful to Good. Food. Stories. for the opportunity to share the story of our beginnings with you and hope to write more along the way.

Village Bakery and Cafe, 11 Friendship Street, Waldoboro, ME. 207-832-2182.