Fresh-Baked and Fresh-Squeezed
Graceful baker Lauren Strohl opens up at 7am (every day but Tuesday) to serve her fresh-baked goodies and fresh-squeezed orange juice to hungry customers. Her menu also includes coffee, bottled water, biscuits with ham and/or cheese, and other baked goods, including breads, cookies, and rolls. She even has gluten-free options. Waffles and biscuits are her most popular items, but we love her muffins and scones. You can stop by for breakfast or lunch – the bakery is open until 1pm.
My family’s been fans of Lauren’s baking since she first started Graceful Bakery as a delivery service from her certified home kitchen. “Lauren’s Good Bread” (our name for her artisan sourdough loaf) is a staple at our supper table.
So Mariah and I decided we would be Lauren’s first customers when she opened her food cart bakery (previously home to Corner Crepe). Unfortunately, she opened at 6am that day. When my alarm went off at 5:45, I thought, “How many customers could she have this early? Surely we can go at 7. Or 8.”
So, we weren’t the very first, but we did go on the first morning and have been loyal customers ever since.
Lauren first came to Ocracoke (from Ohio! Go Bucks!) in 2011. After a year or so, she and her boyfriend Joseph Ramunni left to travel for a year or so, then fetched back up on our shores again in May 2013. Now they’ve put down roots on the island, investing their time and energy into two businesses: Graceful Bakery and the Community Store (which also sells Lauren's baked goods.) Lauren and Joseph also volunteer as youth group leaders for the United Methodist Church.
Graceful Bakery will be open through the fall; over the winter, Lauren plans to reduce her hours but continue to fill orders for her local customers.
She’s happy with the response she’s gotten from customers.
“It’s been fantastic because this is my dream, making delicious food for people,” she said, a ray of sunshine on Ocracoke’s 4th straight day of rain.
Lauren’s been baking since she was 9 years old, and her enthusiasm for it just keeps growing.
“I’m so excited to be here,” she said (even though she gets up at 3am to get started). “I’m so happy to be baking for the people of Ocracoke and all its visitors!”
