UNION—After three years of successfully running the Sterlingtown Public House in Union, owners Jillian Lary and Brian Fickett decided to open a new business this winter under the Sterlingtown name. In early February, the couple opened the Sterlingtown Bakehouse across the street from the restaurant at 30 Burkett Road.

“We decided it was time the town needed some coffee and some baked goods,” said Fickett.

The couple polled the town beforehand to find out what the community wanted.

“It was either coffee or a car wash,” said Lary.

“We wanted to fill the gaps with what this town needed,” added Fickett.

With the restaurant’s kitchen at full capacity, the bakery operations needed its own space to grow and flourish. A former candy store across the street was just the right fit.

Lary and Fickett have their hands full as the bakery opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. They only have an hour's break before the restaurant opens at 3 p.m. and stays open until 8 p.m.

“We have a little girl who is going to turn three, so sleeping is not really a thing we do around here,” said Fickett. “It is without a doubt, a full day. However, we do have an all-star team, including our head baker Abby Peabody, who gets there by 4:30 a.m.”

Peabody was one of Sterlingtown Public House’s veteran servers and she made all of the restaurant’s baked goods and desserts. Now, she spends her days making cupcakes, cookies, croissants, bread, brownies, and scones and custom orders while continuing to serve at the Public House a few nights a week.

The Bakehouse uses Rock City Roasters from Rockland as their primary source of coffee and espresso.

“We’re widening our range and will start working with a bunch of purveyors, locally,” said Fickett. “Just like our beers at the Public House—we will never pour anything through these taps that wasn’t made in Maine. The plan is to do that with the Bakehouse, too, and just keep a rotating lineup of smaller Maine roasteries.”

More than just a bakery

The retail side of the bakery sells books, beers, wine, and cider and offers the community a place to grab breakfast and lunch.

“We have a grab-and-go case with pre-packaged sides, sandwiches, and salads,”  said Fickett. “We have spice blends and ingredients we use in the restaurant. We’re also going to have a consistent list of different hot sandwiches to give people other options for lunch. The Sterlingtown name is kind of known for food so we’re going to stick to that and keep it rolling.”

For more information visit: https://www.sterlingtownbakehouse.com/

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com