Brittanie Averill and her husband, Steve, of Carthage, in a recent photo. Brittanie is the manager of Maine Med Man in Mexico, a cannabis store that also sells fresh, non-cannabis foods Brittanie makes at her business, Britt’s Kitchen. Averill attributes much of her busy and productive lifestyle to her and her husband’s decision to be sober from alcohol two years ago. Submitted photo

Brittanie Averill’s life got a whole lot busier, happier and more productive once she and her husband, Steve, got sober from alcohol two years ago, she says, and she attributes much of her success and motivation to that change.

She is the manager of Maine Med Man in Mexico, a store that sells cannabis for medical use and related products, as well as freshly prepared foods without cannabis from Britt’s Kitchen, which is Averill’s business. At Britt’s Kitchen she prepares fresh deli products like sandwiches, veggie packs, and parfaits, and sells them from a grab ‘n go refrigerator dedicated for non-cannabis food products at the Maine Med Man store.

She also loves to bake cheesecakes and cookies, which she sells at the store. Averill’s other business, O2Bbaked, offers THC-infused baked goods made only for the Maine Med-Man store.

Describe the products you make for Britt’s Kitchen and for your other business, O2Bbaked. What are some of your favorite foods and edibles (products with THC in them) to make and why? Britt’s Kitchen offers freshly made deli sandwiches (Italians, chicken salads — the taco chicken salad with fresh pico de gallo seems to be the favorite — ham, egg and tuna salads), grab-‘n’-go-type foods (pepperoni and cheese packs, and soon introducing pasta salads) and desserts. They are sold in a grab-‘n’-go fridge for easy convenience!

O2Bbaked offers THC-infused baked goods that are made only for Maine Med Man, the store I also manage and work at.

I do not have a specific item that I particularly favor, as I just LOVE to make food, any and all!

How and why did becoming sober from alcohol two years ago change your life? How difficult a process was that for you and your husband? Jan. 1, 2023, was the day my husband, Steve Averill, and myself decided alcohol was no longer for us. (We decided) we didn’t want to work all week, just to party on the weekend or every night after work. We wanted to be better for ourselves and each other. Be present and genuinely happy, as well as healthy! I did go to AA meetings every Monday in Mexico, Maine, at the Green Church for a few months, and it was a huge help for me. My husband just did it cold turkey, as they say!

We both still use THC for medicinal use. We choose to medicate with THC, instead of many pills we would both be on (have previously been on), for a number of medical issues including migraines, anxiety, and more. Without all the nasty side effects. We both work two to three jobs every day and wouldn’t be able to do it without our sobriety from alcohol. The financial stability we have now has given us the opportunities to build our dreams into realities in just two short years!

A lemon blueberry pistachio cheesecake (non-cannabis) made by Brittanie Averill of Carthage. Submitted photo

How can shoppers be sure that they are purchasing food or products that do or don’t have THC in them? Shoppers need not EVER worry that they would ever accidentally receive a THC baked good and not a regular baked good, for a number of reasons. We are state compliant. In my kitchen, THC products have their own bake time: Nothing else is made until it is cleaned up completely, bleached and everything is put away. Plus they have their own utensils, bowls, towels, mixer, dish drainer . . . etc. They are heat sealed, child proof and have warning labels, ingredient labels, dosage, as well as another warning. Only to be sold behind the counter out of a personal case. Not to mention that you need a medical card to make a (cannabis product) purchase. You don’t need those things for regular baked goods.

Describe your cheesecakes and why your customers enjoy them so much. Have you ever tasted something that, even though you have more on your plate, you cannot help but savor every single bite, slowly, letting every flavor hit your taste buds, and the mouth feel is like a creamy cloud, with just enough of a crunch from the crust to bring you back to reality, just to take another bite? No? Well then you haven’t tried my cheesecake, or so I’m told. I use a low and slow method, which means it’s a long process, four hours just to bake. But so worth it. Egg-whites-only now; it just makes it better. Six full blocks of cream cheese and not as much sugar as one would think. I generally love to let people throw ideas at me and let me run with it! I’ve done some from orange dream, to ones with pretzel crust. Fruit pies from other local bakers (locals support locals) baked inside a cheesecake. Cake bottoms and candied glass pears. I love to just take an idea and GO!

In June, you reconstructed the kitchen at Maine Med Man to accommodate your baking and food preparation. Has that been a game-changer for you? I’m very lucky to be able to incorporate everything I love into my work. I have a great boss, Kevin Belanger, who saw my potential and drive. He allowed me to invest my own money into the updated stainless kitchen with a double oven in the shop. Very thankful for the support and love that people have given and continue to give! I owe so much to my sobriety for sure also, because without it I would not be here. I wouldn’t be planning the future of my business or watching my husband excel in his.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your life and what brings you happiness? We have three beautiful dogs and two big gray cats that keep us busy when we are home, plus I cook dinner almost every night. We both also hold seats with our local ATV and/or snowmobile clubs (Mexico ATV Club and Webb River Valley Snowmobile Club in Carthage). As well as we LOVE to ride our snowmobiles when we can! But we just got tracks for our six-seater SXS (side-by-side), so now we can take the dogs out with us when we go inspect trails. It’s fully enclosed and has heat, so it’s a lot of fun! We are busy and we love it!