A Fort Fairfield baker whose desserts have delighted Mainers in Aroostook County and beyond has now opened a deli and bakery in the heart of the northern Maine border community.
Heather Prouty’s “Downtown Deli” opened on Jan. 10 at 254 Main St. It offers a range of breakfast and lunch options — including subs, wraps, salads and soups — and hosts large breakfast specials on Saturday mornings.
The idea of opening a diner-like restaurant in Fort Fairfield had been on Prouty’s mind since she moved to the town from western Maine eight years ago and noticed there was no place to sit down and eat breakfast.
“A lot of people just gather standing around at the gas stations in the early mornings drinking coffee,” Prouty said. “They do have a small sit-down area, but I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bigger area for everyone to just sit around and have coffee?’”
The restaurant brings back the option of year-round, sit-down dining in Fort Fairfield, a town of more than 3,300 where two longtime eateries, Boondocks Grille and Canterbury Royale, have closed in the last year and a half.
Canterbury Royale, which billed itself as a gourmet private dining experience, announced at the start of this year that it would again serve food in conjunction with overnight stays at cottages on the restaurant’s property.
Prouty, who previously co-owned Rolling Pin Bakery in the town, is making a variety of baked goods available in her new venture. She is locally known for her cream horn pastries.
The restaurant opened earlier than expected following an early inspection approval, meaning Downtown Deli’s exterior sign has yet to arrive, but Prouty said reviews from the community have already been positive.
“People have come in [and] they’re so excited to have another option in town,” she said. “I want to kind of grow downtown a little bit more.”
Before entering the restaurant business, Prouty worked for several years in management for a cell phone company and Versant Power. Her ascent into chefdom came with the extra time at home brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My kid grew up on — unfortunately — box cakes and box cupcakes, and I thought I was a baker,” Prouty said. “I learned I wasn’t during the pandemic. But now, I’m not schooled in it, but I consider myself a pretty good baker, self-taught.”
Her husband, who works for the town of Fort Fairfield, has also been cooking meals at the restaurant in his off time. Prouty aims to add more offerings, including additional hot meals and items like cheeseburgers to the menu in the near future.
She’s also hoping to expand the staff — which currently includes just herself and a counterwoman — if the business grows to warrant it.
“I’m just trying to put out that same level of quality that everybody knows me for,” Prouty said.
Downtown Deli is open Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.