When Kristine L’Heureux woke up in a cold sweat from a dream telling her to open a cafe a decade ago, she wrote down one thing: “Yahweh Cafe and Bakery.” Now, she’s preparing for the cafe’s grand opening on Saturday.
Yahweh Cafe and Bakery at 259 Main St. in downtown Old Town will offer baked goods ranging from loaves of bread to whoopie pies, along with tea and coffee.
The cafe will be the latest among several choices for coffee and baked goods in Old Town. L’Heureux said she saw a gap of cafes in the area and wanted to open in Old Town to meet resident’s desire for a place to sit down for coffee.
Half of the menu will be L’Heureux’s own recipes, including the multiple gluten free options that she fine tuned while baking for herself and others after being diagnosed with celiac disease.
L’Heureux said she uses organic ingredients and wants to bring options to Old Town that she doesn’t see.
The cafe will offer baked goods from different cultures, including Irish soda bread and German spice cookies. L’Heureux wants to keep reaching out to bakers around the globe to get more recipes and is already eyeing some Korean baked goods to bring to Maine.
She wants to stand out as a bakery in Maine and wants to create a more diverse area.
“I don’t want to be like any other baker. I don’t want to be like any other cafe. I want to be different. I want to stick out and I want to show people what I can do and show them love and compassion,” L’Heureux said.
All of the baked goods are made in a commercial oven bought with L’Heureux’s $500 winnings from the Whoopie Pie Festival in June when the cafe came in third for best new baker and most creative name for a whoopie pie.
Despite being a new baker in the Whoopie Pie Festival competition, L’Heureux has been baking for her church and out of her house for years. One of the recipes she will offer at the cafe is named after her pastor at the Christ Church of Faith in Old Town.
With her faith being a large piece of her background, L’Heureux said she wants to show the community how it has influenced her.
The name of the cafe, Yahweh, is the Hebrew word for God. The name came to her in a dream, when L’Heureux said God told her to start the bakery with her skills.
“God gave me this gift and this dream to touch and, you know, meet people physically and emotionally,” she said.
The inside of the cafe was remodeled over the past months to reflect L’Heureux’s religion but still be welcoming to everyone.
Decorations include references to specific Bible verses with fish nets and vines. L’Heureux’s husband, Jason, said the vines, lanterns and fish nets on the wall can be conversation starters about religion but the space is open for all.
“You can read it, but you don’t have to believe it. We’re not going to not serve you because you’re like, ‘I don’t agree with that,’” Jason L’Heureux said.
The flags on the outside of the cafe include an American flag, the Maine state flag, a Christianity flag and the flag of Israel.
Kristine and Jason L’Heureux will also share their faith by offering free Bibles and miniature Jesus figurines for children.
The couple also hopes to offer drinks and food to homeless people in Old Town, and Kristine L’Heureux said she wants to bake free birthday cakes for foster children in Maine.
For now, L’Heureux said she’s looking forward to sharing her baked goods with the community at the cafe’s grand opening on Saturday.
“I’m excited about the people — people coming in and seeing what we have to offer,” L’Heureux said.
Yahweh Cafe and Bakery will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday.
