by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
Marie Sanders wants Out of the Oven Bakery in White Stone to be more than a mere doughnut and pastry shop. She wants it to be a place where memories are made.
“The mission for us is to create great baked goods, create great customer service and create family memories,” said Sanders, who opened the bakery at 549 Rappahannock Drive, White Stone, with her husband Cedrick in September 2017.
She said many of her customers recall the bakery that operated for decades in Kilmarnock.
“That look in their eyes and that smile they have, that’s the look we’re going for. That’s the feeling we’re trying to create,” she said.
Sanders, who has an associates degree in pastry arts and bachelor’s in food service management from Johnson & Wales University, brings 25 years of experience to the bakery. She worked at the Peabody in Memphis, Tenn., and the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia, Pa., where she baked for former presidents, movie and rock stars.
She and Cedrick, who has also worked in the food service industry, moved to Lancaster County 14 years ago when she accepted a job as the pastry chef at the Tides Inn in Irvington. Since then she has worked in a bakery in Herndon and as food service manager at Harris Teeter in Williamsburg.
“I said to Cedrick, I just want to make cookies, pies and cakes,” said Sanders. So the couple began searching for locations in Lancaster to open a bakery and started the renovation process at the shop in White Stone last July. They painted the walls yellow, her mother’s favorite color, so she’d be a part of the bakery. They sell sticky buns, which were her dad’s favorite.
Among the dozens of items, from sourdough bread to cannoli to eclairs and strudel, the most popular are sweet potato pies and cheesecakes. Of course, their danishes, donuts and cookies also are customer favorites.
“We want to make it affordable,” said Sanders. “We want everyone to be able to walk in here and buy something.”
Because of that, their prices range from 50 cents for a cupcake and $1 for a cookie up to $20 or more for special order cakes.
And everything at the bakery is homemade. Up at 2 a.m. to begin baking, Sanders makes her own danish dough, muffin mix and cake batters.
“I’ve always loved what I do,” she added. “I haven’t always loved where I was at but I’ve always loved what I do.”
Out of the Oven’s motto is “making life a little sweeter,” which Sanders hopes they are accomplishing.
“The community has supported us hugely and we’ve tried to give back and support the community,” she said. “We’re so grateful.”
Out of the Oven Bakery is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.
