Local Emergency Dispatcher Hoping to Win Top Baker Competition
Baking is magic and kindness and joy for Lori Bartlett
TOWN HILL—The Red Sox. Her family. Dogs. No, wait, all animals. Her friends. Her community. Baking. Being outside in her garden. Nature.
There are a lot of things that Lori Bartlett loves, things that she is passionate about. She’s so passionate about things that she shares her time and her talent and enthusiasms with all who are near her. She expects a lot from herself and she gives a lot of herself too.
For over a decade, baker Lori Bartlett has been serving Bar Harbor, sharing those passions. That doesn’t just mean baking or cheering the Red Sox or cuddling a dog. The emergency services dispatcher for Bar Harbor’s police, fire, and ambulance has raised thousands for cancer research by running the Boston Marathon, by volunteering countless hours at various nonprofits like the Bar Harbor Historical Society, by donating elaborate and delicious cakes to nonprofits.
There is a magic to baking and there is generosity to it, too. It’s an act of kindness and often an act of love. The flour is sieved. The eggs are whisked. The ingredients are combined and something new and delicious is created.
Jenny Colgan said, "Baking is... Life. So when you describe what you're making, you must describe life. Do you see? It's not just recipes."
It’s magic.
And part of Lori’s magic is the desire to share it, to bring joy to other people’s lives and palates.
“Lori has been generous in her friendship with the Bar Harbor Historical Society. She has donated several cakes and cupcakes to us over the past few years, helping to raise money for our mission and bring awareness to our museum, La Rochelle,” said Bar Harbor Historical Society Executive Director Erin Cough. “It is great to have someone so creative and talented supporting us!”
Over and over again, Lori gives. It isn’t just through her food. She even gave a kidney to a family member. She first ran the Boston Marathon and joined the Dana Farber team in 2012 in memory of her grandfather who died of colon cancer.
Each year, she had more people that she ran for.
Now, she’s part of another kind of nationwide competition, hoping to win a contest, share her work in Bake from Scratch Magazine, meet baker Buddy Valastro, and bring home $10,000. The annual contest began in 2020.
Part of the voting system allows people to donate to support families dealing with pediatric cancer, which is something Lori feels passionate about. To be fair, Lori feels passionately about most things, which is part of why she’s constantly helping others.
That’s even true about baking.
As she told, The Greatest Baker, “People ask me that a lot and I really don't have an answer. If someone asks me if I know how to make something, because it was something they had somewhere, and it meant a lot to them, as does the memory, I might not know how and if I don't, I look it up. I look up several recipes, maybe several dozen recipes pick and choose from them and make it my own. Then I bake it and give it to them. I always hope that it is as good as their memory.”
Lori has been baking seriously since 2016.
“I have always baked my children's birthday cakes or special treats since they've been born,” she said.
Because she lives in Bar Harbor and there isn’t as much open in the winter, she started baking more and more.
“So, I started baking my own special treats! I love to make desserts for my family and friends and want them to be delicious and from the heart,” she said.
If she wins the $10,000, she hopes to improve the kitchen in her house and make it place that’s easier to bake and cook in. And also, a place for her family to gather. There are fifty-one bakers competing in her category. People can vote every day for free or donate for multiple votes.
No matter what happens—though she’d love to win—Lori isn’t about to stop baking.
“To make memories while making food for family and friends, that is what I love,” she said.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
For more information or to vote:
https://greatestbaker.com/2023/lori-bartlett