Bates Mill No. 5: Young Lewiston chef wants in

LEWISTON — Emily Fournier, 20, is a former Lewiston High School valedictorian and a Bates College student — and she’d like to start a bakery in Bates Mill No. 5.

She’s the third potential tenant lined up for developer Tom Platz’s massive $70 million renovation effort.

Fournier hopes to open E. Claire and Pastries with her parents, Moe and Denise Fournier, in 10,000 square feet of the mill. The bakery name is a play on her name, Emily Claire.

She said she’s always loved to bake and that opening her own business felt like a natural fit.

“We want to focus on French and American pastries,” Fournier said. “For breakfast, we would offer crepes or croissants and quiche. We’re thinking about having a cupcake bar to the side where you design your own cupcakes.”

She’d like an open-concept kitchen where customers can watch the bakers behind a glass wall. Attached to the bakery and cafe would be a space for weddings and events. Initially, two to three people would work in the front with two bakers in the back.

Fournier, who has worked with SCORE and the Small Business Development Center on her plans, is on a two-year leave from Bates College and is enrolled in the culinary arts program at Central Maine Community College.

“Mill No. 5 is just (the) kind of ambiance that I want,” she said. “We’ve been really excited. (The mill project) is going to bring so many jobs to Lewiston, and I think that we’re going to get a lot of people (who) are going to want to go in the mill to see what’s happening. It’s a part of history and I think it would be a shame (for it) to be demolished. I think we should do something with it to improve our community, and I think this is it.”

kskelton@sunjournal.com