By Rusty Bastedo—
In 2009, Simply Made Treats was started in Andrea Kierstead’s Dublin kitchen. It is still there, state licensed and state inspected, and now operating at close to full capacity. Andrea’s motto is “Baking The World A Better Place,” and she is working to make her motto a consistent reality. This reporter caught up with Andrea recently, and we spoke about how and why Simply Made Treats began, and about how her two-year old business is doing.
Andrea Kierstead has always enjoyed baking, and she has always believed in using “old-time” recipes, flours that are not “enriched” or “bleached,” local farmers’ eggs, and local producers’ fruits and berries wherever possible. Her baking turned from a hobby into a full-time business in the Monadnock Region business downturn of 2008-2009. A single mother with a son in high school, Andrea decided to start up a one-woman baking business in her kitchen, and a steady stream of “delectables” has flowed from her kitchen ever since.
Andrea supplies her baked goods to farmers’ markets in Peterborough (she is chairperson for the Peterborough Farmers Market located at Depot Square), Hancock and Antrim. Area hotels and motels often serve Simply Made Treats’ fresh-baked croissants, pastries and breads (all baked by Andrea during nighttime hours) for their overnight visitors’ breakfasts. Andrea makes “mini-pies” and “single portion” goods for many of her customers who place their orders with her; and a possible Dublin delivery service may start up when her son gets his driver’s/operator’s license. In the interim, baked goods may be ordered by (telephone) 563-7711 or (email) magooandme@nullmyfairpoint.net.
For Advocate readers interested in “all natural” alternatives to their daily fare, Simply Made Treats looks forward to the future!
Russell Bastedo, who served as New Hampshire’s State Curator from 1997 to 2009, has served on the staff of the Advocate since 1999.