Fuel the Body
Just being a kid
13-17
South Portland girl's curbside bakery is a local sensation
Photo and reporting by
Portland Press Herald
Charlie Heeley, 14, started baking sourdough and other goods in her kitchen in May and set up a self-serve pop-up bakery from her front yard in South Portland. Every Saturday morning she puts out three dozen boxes of cinnamon rolls, cookies, scones, and muffins for neighbors and passersby to buy on the honor system.
The parent pitched in
Her father Pete built the chalkboard signs and the permanent stand for the bakery. Her mother Sarah supported the operation and helped her get their kitchen officially certified.
Why we picked this one
Charlie started baking because she was making too many loaves to eat. When you have a kid who won't stop baking, an honor-system stand in the driveway beats throwing food away. The math here is simple: butter and flour on Saturday morning, three dozen boxes on the lawn by eight, and neighbors walking by with cash.
Charlie bakes three dozen cinnamon rolls every Saturday and sells them off a card table on the honor system, no cash box watched. Start smaller: let your kid set up a lemonade stand this weekend, pick the price, handle the money, keep every dollar of it.
Read the full story at
Portland Press Herald
Where it happened:
South Portland, Maine
Your kid's been asking about baking. Your kitchen's full of butter and flour. There's a quiet corner of the driveway that's been empty all summer.