A New Awning is One of The Improvements at the Reopened Bakery on the Hill
Alexandra Trischler, Wolf Gonier and Stephanie Smith at the Bakery on the Hill
“We are excited about building on the good reputation of the former owner and doing something on the Hill to make people happy,” said Stephanie Smith, the new co-owner (with her husband, Craig) of the popular Bakery on the Hill this afternoon. The Bakery which has been closed for renovations since earlier this year opens tomorrow at 10:30 am. It will also be participating in the First Friday Art Walk.
Last fall Wolf Gonier and her partner opened the Congress Street (near Smith Street) storefront in time for the holiday season; it was a very successful holilday season and the two were pleased with the business. But today, Gonier said: “I’ve been in the baking business for over 20 years. I just got tired of it.” So she decided to “flip” the business over to a new owner. Just two weeks ago, on May 12th, Gonier sold the well established business to Smith. Part of that sale included the recipes used in making her rich confectionaries and a non-competitive agreement. That agreement prevents Gonier from starting up a competitive business in the area.
This afternoon Smith’s 26 year old daughter Alexandra Trischler, was learning Gonier’s recipes as Smith watched. Trischler is an accomplished pastry chef in New York City in her own right. She used to work for Danny Meyer, one of the top restauranters in NYC; he used to own a dozen MIchelin star restaurants. She’s a former sous pastry chef at Mialino, at the Grammarcy Park Hotel, NYC. Currently, she is pastry chef at the North End Grille, on Wall Street, for Chef Floyd Cardoz. Trischler plans on remaining in the area for a few months to insure that the transition in ownership is smooth before returning to NYC.
For the attractive and friendly Smith, this should be an easy transition. She and her husband lived on a farm in New Gloucester for many years. That’s where she honed her own baking skills – making butter and using fresh eggs and baked
bread. “It was a natural based lifestyle,” said Smith.
Bakery on the Hill will be open from 10:30 am – until 7:00 pm every day, except for Tuesday. As she gets to know her customers better, she may add breakfast sandwiches and diverse products.