Jaymie Bakes - with the Dorset Chamber of Commerce

The Dorset Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present..."An Eye on Business."

In these segments, we showcase the local small businesses that are the heart of Dorset, Vermont! Today, we visit with "Jaymie Bakes," a business specializing in fresh breads and sweet treats made in southern Vermont.

I met Jaymie Levine on a hot afternoon in August after she had just finished 7 hours of baking. Wearing masks, we met outside her home in the historic village of East Dorset, Vermont. She came with a tote full of bread and other savory delights and gleefully told me to 'take what I wanted.' I happily obliged, quickly grabbing the chocolate chip biscotti (which I ate on the way home after our interview…some things you just don’t share).

Jaymie Levine is the owner and operator of “Jaymie Bakes”, a small business rooted not only in her love of baking, but also her love of the community she calls home. She and her husband, Bill, settled in East Dorset to raise a family and back in 2018, purchased an old farmhouse many told them needed much more than a few boards and nails. Two years later, they are nearing the finish line with the home renovations and Jaymie’s small bake shed now sits next to their labor of love, serving as the self-serve pick up spot for her delicious breads, muffins and mini cakes. Customer favorites include homemade toaster tarts, New York style cinnamon crumb cake and cranberry walnut bread, and the “usual suspects” of French bread and honey oat sandwich bread.

My mouth is still watering!

Jaymie’s bake shed was delivered right before the Great Covid-19 Pandemic hit and while many business owners would have considered an alternative course of action, Jaymie saw an opportunity. Her customers place their orders online and are instructed as to when their goods will be ready for pickup. She then places the baked goods on racks in the shed and customers pick up their orders, using the honor system to pay through a small collection box placed inside the shed. It is a contactless transaction, including when Jaymie personally delivers baked goods to local residents who can’t leave their homes and circles back at a later time for payment. Love is a huge ingredient here.

Jaymie’s passion for baking began with learning the basics from her grandmother and apparently the family tradition may stop here. She laughs when she tells me her 14 year old daughter doesn’t like to bake but will help with the dishes! Jaymie’s English muffins are a huge draw, but her personal favorite to craft is the Challah bread, particularly twisting the dough into a five strand spiral braid, using local fresh eggs to give the dough its rich, yellow color. Jaymie believes in the “science of baking” and I am sworn to secrecy as to how her products freeze so well. Don’t ask.

And while Jaymie has numerous recognitions and awards (including first place in the amateur division of the Chowder Challenge sponsored by the Dorset Equine Rescue Group), she remains a small-town entrepreneur, baking for familiar faces. A one-woman show, she personally delivers orders to The Dorset Garden Market and J.K. Adams Co.), two local establishments that now sell her products. She smiles and asserts no order has, or ever will, go unfulfilled. But I advise you to order early! Quantities are limited and Jaymie’s customers are loyal.

Find “Jaymie Bakes” at 85 Leary Lane in East Dorset, VT. Online at at https://jaymiebakes.com/

Follow her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jaymiebakes and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jaymiebakes/