TEMPLE — A time and place to bring community members together was the impetus for starting a Community Cafe in Temple.

An inaugural event, Community Cafe and Pizza Night, will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 30, at 319 Intervale Road, the site of the soon-to-be Honeyhill Bakery, developer Michael Romanyshyn said.

Local musicians, wood-fired pizza and other baked goods are in store for the evening, he said. Everyone is welcome to the by-donation, family-friendly event.

Temple Stream Theater and the bakery will combine for events. The Community Cafe will start with once-a-month events for now, he said. Plans include getting back to more programming at the theater with music, guest performances, events for kids and programs geared to issues that are important to us, he said.

“We need a place to meet once in a while,” he said. “The town’s store has been gone for about 10 years. Now it’s just the post office. There’s no gathering place.”

Romanyshyn, a puppeteer, and his wife, Susie Dennison, moved here from New York City. They purchased the First Congregational Church on Intervale Road in 1999 with the help of monetary gifts from several parties, including the Jim Henson family, he said.

The church was transformed in to the Temple Stream Theater. Three-season entertainment was offered. 

His late mother-in-law, Mabel Dennison, purchased an older building beside it and donated the house to the nonprofit theater, he said.

At first, they considered using it for workshops. Then a plan to make the house in to a bakery to support the theater was started several years ago, he said. The house needed a lot of work and it was a long, slow process.

“We wanted to attach pizza and food to events,” he said.

The theater has been dormant for a while, he said. The couple were drawn to Boston for four years, where Susie finished school.

Romanyshyn has been involved with leading a band in the Czech Republic for the past six years. He journeyed there last week for a concert and will meet up with the band in Pittsburgh in a couple weeks for performances, he said.

They moved back to Temple last year and began renovations to the building to create the bakery, he said. Most construction was completed over the winter, but there’s some work left to do before the anticipated opening in September.

A friend, Jabari Jones, is moving here from California to join in the venture. He will be the full-time baker and is preparing the pizza for Friday night.

The bakery will offer sourdough breads along with scones, cookies, bagels, pizza and other items people want, Jones said.

Once open, people may purchase items at the bakery. Baked goods will be taken to area suppliers and the local farmer’s market, Romanyshyn said. There is space for tables and musicians for special cafe events.

Some workshops, classes and special events may be held there, he said.

A shed was turned in to a kitchen and the large wood-fired oven was constructed. A partial second floor was added, and a Forster Technology student is creating a spiral staircase to access it, Romanyshyn said. Other volunteers have lent a hand to the progress.

A Farmington band featuring Peter Hardy and some other local musicians will play Friday night for the Community Cafe.

For more information, email mike.romany@gmail.com.

abryant@sunjournal.com

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