Page 43 - WCM Summer 2022

Johanna Sorrell
Hot Contents bread bowls, made from scratch and fresh out of the oven.
register, as Megan and Nathan work with and around their kids in a smoothly choreographed routine. Order a warm English muffin, and be rewarded with melted pools of butter, just the right amount of salt, and a perfect, subtle crunch. Or try one with Megan’s homemade jam, and chances are you’ll find plenty of reasons to make the trip to Standish on a regular basis.
Hot Contents, Mexico
Sandwich bread is often taken for granted. When ordering a sandwich at a deli or cafe, most times you’re given the option of various pre-made, preservative- filled, store-bought breads that are wrapped in plastic and have an unappetizing expiration date stamped on the side. And for some reason, we accept this. But at Hot Contents in Mexico, owner and head baker Kelly Barnett is elevating the sandwich experience by serv- ing her offerings on soft, chewy, house-made ciabatta.
“We make it all from scratch here,” says Kelly, “and it all started with the soup. We wanted to make fresh, homemade bread that goes great with soup.” From there, things quickly and naturally progressed to sandwich breads, too. “The ciabatta is different,” says Kelly, and in a sea of Italian sandwiches and pizza shops, her sandwiches stand out, and not just because of the bread. Her new approaches to old classics are a treat for any sandwich lover, and as advertised in the
name of the shop, many are served hot.
Barnett started Hot Contents with the idea of bring- ing delicious, made-from-scratch, elevated comfort foods to the Rumford and Mexico area with the hopes that creativity, care, and top-notch ingredients would draw people in. And under normal circumstances, her shop would likely have had a line out the door from day-one based on her exquisite mini blueberry pies alone. However, the timeline of her opening coincided directly with the pandemic, which, needless to say, put a significant damper on the opening of Hot Contents. But with Barnett’s fighting spirit and clear talent in the kitchen, it will only be a matter of time before the lines form down the block.
At the end of the day, it comes down to the simple, undeniable fact that Barnett knows better than most that, “the sandwich is all about the bread.” And once you taste her ciabatta, you’ll be hard pressed to disagree.
No View Farm, Inn & Bakery, Rumford
Walking into No View Farm, you might notice the eclectic, thoughtfully filled bookcase running up the wall by stairs, or maybe the framed-out nooks stacked with mason jars of delectable jellies and pickled veg- etables. It’s kind of like stepping into a story that tells the tale of farm fresh foods, artistic endeavors, and
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