Chase Farm Bakery. (Photo courtesy Mary Dunn)
Lately, walking outside in the early morning sounds like a perfectly orchestrated symphony brought to us by tiny feathered friends. The variety of bird calls is a reminder that spring is indeed here. Visiting our feeder are the usual cardinals and chickadees. But in addition to them we see a pair of bluebirds, goldfinches who are sporting their summer yellow, and a few nondescript brownish birds that sing like heaven.
After spending a little time enjoying the musical treat I decided to go for a drive to get a needed loaf of bread. It was Thursday and the Chase Farm Bakery was open, so over the Town Farm Road I drove. On my way I saw a small caravan of horses and buggies. I later learned from Robin Chase that a family was moving and I was witnessing a moving day. It was nice to see cars and trucks slow down and give the buggies the safe distance they needed.
As I drove up to Chase Farm Bakery I took a minute to enjoy the tulips on their front porch and a few alpacas across the street. While inside, I was not only greeted by Robin Chase, owner of this lovely farm bakery, but by the many delicious looking baked goods in the display case. In the cooler were some of Robin’s fresh dairy products. But today was all about baked goods. I ordered a loaf of bread and chatted with Robin as she cut the bread into slices on a rather nifty bread slicer. I was given the option of two thicknesses: thin for toast and sandwiches or thick for French toast. What a great invention!
As I watched Robin slice up the loaf of bread, we finished a conversation that we had started a while back over email about the Happy Farm and the Happy Farm Trail. As Robin explained to me the history of the farm and her family, she also shared her incredible story of helping Amish families from New York settle here. As I was listening to her I was reminded yet again of the unique character of this town. I was also thinking that I was glad she and her husband made that journey to New York to visit the families searching for farmland in Maine. Robin was absolutely correct; Whitefield is the perfect home for them. To help the families, Robin provided an apartment for them to stay in while they built their homes.
As I thanked Robin for her time and baked goods, I was eagerly anticipating a cup of coffee and one of her cannoli, which is filled with the farm’s very own ricotta cheese. As someone who grew up next door to a first-generation Italian family, I couldn’t believe these were available in Whitefield, Maine! If I’m being honest, I must admit that starting this column saying we needed bread was not really truthful. It was the cannoli that brought me to the Chase Farm Bakery this morning. And they didn’t disappoint!
