By Katy Savage
KILLINGTON—Megan Wagner has known what she’s wanted to do since she was 9.
“I remember telling my dad when I was a little girl that I was going to own a bakery one day,” she said.
Her father bought her cookbooks and let her “tear apart his kitchen,” when she was a child, Twenty-five years later, her dream has become a reality.
Wagner, 34, opened her own bakery, called Dream Maker Bakers, in Killington Aug. 22.
“I describe sit as a ‘roller coaster ride,’” said Wagner.
It hasn’t been easy. She got half an hour of sleep the day before the opening. She arrived at the bakery at 2 a.m. to make sure everything was perfect. “It was emotional,” she said.
Wagner remembers her first time baking. She made a Black Forest cherry cake for her stepmother’s birthday.
“I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be,” she said.
She got her first professional experience at Choices Restaurant, where she made all desserts, breads and pasta from scratch.
Choices owner and chef Claude Blais paid for Wagner to take a week-long crash course at the Culinary Institute of America. Wagner baked 10 hours a day. She also took classes at King Arthur Flour and jumped at any opportunity to work with other bakers.
Blais is happy with Wagner’s determination to open her own bakery.
“I was 100 percent behind it because I knew she would do really well,” said Blais.
Wagner most recently worked at The Foundry at Summit Pond where she experimented with her own dessert recipes. Wagner has developed her own menu by combining dozens of recipes to make her own.
Her brother, a former chef who got his start at Simon Pearce before moving to Nantucket, recently moved back to Vermont after becoming burned out in the restaurant business. He helped Wagner develop an egg sandwich recipe and is helping her craft a lunch menu. His girlfriend, Kelsey Kelley, helps Wagner with baking.
“There are days I don’t think I could make it through and she’s there with me and won’t let me stop,” said Wagner.
Wagner is in a two-year purchase agreement with Pete Timpone, who owned The Pasta Pot for 44 years before closing the business.
Wagner has completely remodeled the inside of the Pasta Pot building with new paint in her favorite color—purple. Wagner installed a volleyball court in the back of the restaurant. She is debating whether to open a seated restaurant or offer a cafe-style menu. To start, she has a simple breakfast menu. Eventually, she’ll serve lunch as well.
“We want to cook everything from scratch,” she said.
In the meantime, Wagner is taking ideas from the Killington Local Facebook page. She saw a post asking what type of food was missing from the Killington area.
“Smoothie/juice bar was the most requested,” Wagner said.
Wagner plans to have a full juice bar, with carrot citrus, beet berry and apple green flavors to start.
It’s a sweet moment for Wagner’s father, Shawn Mowery, as well.
Mowery said he told his children to keep trying new things until they found something they loved.
For Wagner, that love was baking.
“She was pretty good at messing up the kitchen, that’s for sure,” Mowery said.
Wagner’s favorite dessert? Pie. “They’re easy, they’re homey, they’re old fashioned,” Wagner said.
Dream Maker Bakers is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday to Sunday.
Photos By Robin Alberti
Megan Wagner opened Dream Maker Bakers Aug. 22, at the former Pasta Pot location.
