Grand opening celebration for Butter Stick Bakery set for March 24

DOVER-FOXCROFT — On Feb. 19 a new business opened in Dover Foxcroft. When one walks into the Butter Stick Bakery, located on East Main Street in the same space previously occupied by Shiretown Pizza, they will feel like stepping back into another era and the journey is delicious.

When Denise Buzzelli, executive director of the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce, stopped in to welcome owner Lisa Kingsbury she was amazed it was the same space. Buzzelli explains, “The art work and colors are reminiscent of a coffee shop or bakery from the 1950s. The place has been completely transformed – from floor to ceiling – it’s brand new and beautiful”.

Customers can stop in for to-go orders, or stay for a while. “The new layout allows for seating for up to 12 customers,” Buzzelli continues, “whether you’re stopping in for a breakfast sandwich and a coffee first thing in the morning or you’re looking for a sweet place to go on your lunch break, maybe for a homemade cup of soup or a hearty sandwich on homemade bread.”

Patrons will want to be sure they leave with something sweet in hand. Kingsbury, who uses only top-notch quality products, all locally sourced when possible, does not spare when it comes to her baked goods.

“I only use real, unsalted butter, buttermilk, whole milk, and sour cream, I even use lard in my pie crusts,” she said.

Her goal is not to compete with other local coffee shops or bakeries. Kingsbury said, “I won’t offer wraps or salads, specialty drinks or donuts like other local shops carry, I want to give the community something different, and I’m always asking customers what they’d like me to add to the menu. I would eventually like to prepare and stock fully cooked meals so folks can stop in and buy a complete dinner to take home and heat up, rather than cooking dinner themselves.”

Kingsbury who holds a master’s degree in public health and a bachelor’s degree in business, moved to Dover-Foxcroft from Bangor eight years ago, having fallen in love with the county while working for the Piscataquis Public Health Coalition as a community health promotion specialist. Kingsbury has accomplished much, but seems most excited to watch her dream of owning a bakery unfold in downtown Dover-Foxcroft.

When she tells her story, it becomes apparent that baking has been a part of her life from childhood, “Growing up in a family of 12 siblings required a lot of scratch cooking,” she said. “My mother hated baking, and as soon as she realized I had an interest in it, she began training me, and allowed me to take over all of the baking at a fairly young age. Later in life I had a neighbor I loved dearly who used to cook and bake at Husson College. She gave me many of her old-school recipes.”

Opening a bakery is something Kingsbury spoke of often with her husband, who was a chef but hated to bake. The opening of Butter Stick Bakery might be somewhat bittersweet for Kinsburgy now.

“My husband and I would talk often about opening a restaurant with a bakery,” she said. “When he passed away last year I decided to move forward and open a bakery anyway.”

Here she lives and breathes the thing she loves to do most, and her scrumptious creations come in big and small packages. Her cases are lined with sweet treats of all kinds, from her signature cinnamon rolls, muffins and brownies, to pies, to beautifully decorated cakes, including the most important cake someone will likely ever order – a wedding cake.

“As much as I love baking, I also love cake decorating — especially wedding cakes,” Kingsbury said. “I love the challenge and the creativity required in designing and preparing a wedding cake. My goal is to continue to grow the bakery and develop a Butter Stick Bakery line of specialty and wedding cakes.”
Butter Stick Bakery can be found on Facebook. Doors are open from 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Kingsbury would love the community to know that a grand opening will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 24 with specials throughout the day and a ribbon cutting by the Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce at 11 a.m. All are invited, and more information can be found at www.piscataquischamber.com.

Photo courtesy of Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce
BUTTER STICK BAKERY — A grand opening for the Butter Stick Bakery on East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 24, with a Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for 11 a.m.