Sweets on Seven

Dinky Donuts [1] headed south . . . to Middlebury. The tiny company has moved from Burlington into its very own shop on Route 7, just down the road from the A&W Drive-In [2]. Now, in addition to maple caramel, Boston cream and honey-glazed donuts — plus innovative seasonal flavors — owners Alex and Nick Cavalli will be baking pastries and pouring fresh-squeezed OJ and coffee. “We’re doing apple strudel and Danish to spice things up. Everything is made from scratch every morning,” says Nick. Looking for a savory bite? The couple is also whipping up bialys — chewy Jewish rolls that are like bagels without the holes — and house-cured salmon.

So far, things are going over well: “We already have a number of regular customers,” Nick says. They can look forward to the upcoming pumpkin donut.

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Want a cookie instead? Up Route 7 from Dinky Donuts, Paul Seyler and Suzanna Miller of Vermont Cookie Love [3] are working to fix up an old North Ferrisburgh feed store and convert it into a sweet-treat factory.

Initially, Miller reports, the duo was merely looking for a new place to produce the wares they sell at farmers’ markets and 24 local stores. They’ve been renting space in other commercial kitchens, but the logistics of sharing were getting unwieldy — on a busy week, Seyler and Miller bake about 1000 cookies and produce 100 packages of frozen cookie dough. As it happens, the space they found, less than a half-mile from their home, “lends itself to having a little retail nook,” Miller says.

Once they’ve moved into their new digs — by Thanksgiving, they hope, although that “may be a stretch” — they plan to hire a few staffers to meet growing demand, says Miller.

Besides the round treats in flavors such as triple-chocolate “Forbidden Love” and wholesome “True Love” made with oatmeal and cranberries, the VCL shop will offer muffins, croissants and coffee, plus seats by a cozy woodstove.

Can’t make it to North Ferrisburgh? Fresh-baked versions are now available at Muddy Waters [4] and American Flatbread Burlington Hearth [5].