Sullivan House Bakery - Baking for Good

In these strange times with COVID-19, social distancing, so many lives changed and uncertainty....what does one do?  Well, what I will do is open a bakery in Gorham, Maine.

For those that know me best, I am a host and baker at heart.  I worked in corporate America for more than 30 years, learned a ton, made life-long friends, traveled the world and baked along the way.  I had two stints away from the insurance industry.  I first baked in a Vermont community bakery, and then owned and operated a Vermont country inn.  After my corporate insurance position was eliminated in 2019, and applying for and being turned down for dozens of jobs, I'm finally paying attention to the convergence of the universe.  Time to open a bakery.

What I love about this phase of my life is that I have the opportunity to put multiple passions to work for good.  Yes, I love baking.  I also love mentoring, sharing, teaching new skills, and giving to the community.  I want to bring high quality, mostly organic, as local as possible grab-and-go baked goods.  Breads, scones, bars, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, sweet and savory.  I also want the bakery to be a place where people go to connect, learn, relax and give.

I want to partner with as many Gorham businesses, individuals and organizations as possible to bring my vision of this community bakery to life.  I want to teach young adults important small business management skills, impact food insecurity by teaching people to bake and donate our products ("buy one give one,") empower others to pursue their dreams and generate greater inclusivity.  I want to engage with people who want to learn and grow, helping our community thrive.  All through baking for good.

This coming week I sign a lease.  A 5 year lease!  Oh my.  There's a lot to do in order to transform empty space.  It will take time, patience, partnership, determination, resilience, grit and lots of money.  Ugh, lots of money.    

This is a selfish journey that I hope makes a difference in people's lives.  Something bigger than myself.   A while ago I shared on LinkedIn that its time for me to get out of my comfort zone.  Well, it's official, I'm uncomfortable AND confident that this is my path.

If you can, I welcome your support.  I ask a few things:
 - what is your favorite sweet or savory baked good?
 - would you like a bread membership (weekly loaf of bread for a year) in return?
 - if you want your contribution to be aligned to a specific expense, let me know

I hope you stop by when we open later this Summer.  When you do, you will enjoy some of the best baked goods you will ever have!

Gratefully,

Nancy

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