Comfort Baking Co.
In 2017, Mike and Stephanie Oliveira traded in their day jobs to open Donut Love, a North Hampton shop offering all kinds of specialty flavors of scratch-made potato doughnuts. After expanding to a second Donut Love location in downtown Exeter a few years later, the Newfields couple started looking for new ways to keep up with their rapidly growing concept. Comfort Baking Co. (75 Portsmouth Ave., Unit 15, Exeter, 580-5201, find them on Facebook and Instagram @comfortbakingcompany) became their latest venture. Arriving just before Christmas last year in the former Lobster Boat restaurant space in Exeter Commons, the new cafe and bakery now serves as a commissary kitchen for both Donut Love locations thanks to its much larger size. But more than just another spot for baking doughnuts, Comfort Baking Co. also allowed the Oliveiras the opportunity to launch a full-service breakfast and lunch concept, as they now offer additional baked goods like cinnamon rolls, muffins, coffee cakes and croissants, plus soups, sandwiches and healthier options like made-to-order acai bowls and smoothies. The Scene recently caught up with Stephanie Oliveira to talk about some of her favorite things to get at Comfort Baking Co. and what you can expect when you visit.
How long has Comfort Baking Co. been around?
We opened Dec. 18 of 2020.
What makes Comfort Baking Co. unique?
I think it’s that it provides a place for the community to come together and it provides comfort in more ways than one, whether it’s comfort food in a nostalgic treat that you want … or just the comfort of being together with friends and family. … It’s also unique in that it’s kind of two restaurants in one, where we have a kitchen space for the doughnuts too. Sometimes we’ll bring cinnamon rolls or something over to one of the Donut Love [shops].
What is your favorite thing on your menu?
The cinnamon rolls and the acai bowls would probably be my top two favorites. We do some flavored cinnamon rolls with different glazes that are really popular, but I’m always an original cinnamon roll fan. I feel like nothing goes better together on a Sunday morning than a cinnamon roll and coffee. … For the acai bowls, we have three or four different ones on the menu.
What is something everyone should try?
I feel like the things that get most talked about when people come in are our cinnamon rolls or our breakfast sandwiches. I think people just really like that they can kind of build their own breakfast sandwich, and they are made fresh to order.
What celebrity would you like to see eating at Comfort Baking Co.?
We are huge fans of Chip and Joanna Gaines [of HGTV’s Fixer Upper]. We’ve found a ton of inspiration from them.
What is an essential skill to running a cafe and bakery?
Having grit, and just knowing and expecting that there are going to be lots of ups and downs. … Especially with the pandemic, it’s important to just take things day by day and not try to get too overwhelmed or stressed.
What is your favorite thing about being on the Seacoast?
Being so close to the beach. … But then also overall, we wouldn’t be where we are without our community.
— Matt Ingersoll
Courtesy photo.
