Seasoned Restaurant Professionals to Open Boxcar Bakery in Essex Junction 

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• Courtesy Of Owl's Iris Photography
• MK (left) and Stacey Daley of Boxcar Bakery

Sisters-in-law Stacey and MK Daley plan to open Boxcar Bakery at 11 Park Street just off Five Corners in Essex Junction by late summer.

The spacious, light-filled, 2,000-square-foot space will house a retail bakery and café. There will be about 30 seats for patrons to enjoy sweet and savory baked goods along with drinks such as spritzers and coffee beverages from the espresso bar.

Boxcar Bakery was the name of a home baking business Stacey started in 2010. She was a vendor at the Five Corners Farmers' Market and also sold to local stores including Sweet Clover Market in Essex and City Market, Onion River Co-op in Burlington. She was especially known for her lemon pound cake and maple-pecan sticky buns.

Stacey and MK most recently worked together managing the back and front of the house, respectively, at Sweet Simone's in Richmond. Stacey previously worked at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury and Guild Tavern in South Burlington and was the general manager at Pascolo Ristorante in Burlington. MK was the general manager at Guild Tavern for eight years.

The pandemic prompted the pair to decide to go out on their own. "We've both worked in the industry a long time," Stacey said. "I wanted to create another anchor for my neighborhood," she added, noting that she lives in Essex Junction.

Boxcar will offer a wide range of cakes and from-scratch pastries. On the savory side, there will be ham-and-cheese croissants served with whole-grain mustard and cornichons. Sweet options will include salty chocolate chip cookies, cream cheese brownies and Rice Krispies Treats made with Fruity Pebbles, Stacey's daughters' favorite.