Baker Bhava Carr's new cafe sells her signature vegan and gluten-free baked goods as well as vegetarian breakfast and lunch dishes. ABBEY GINGRAS/FREE PRESS

The outside of Sweet Alchemy has a front porch and a back patio area for extra seating on a pleasant day.(Photo: ABBEY GINGRAS/FREE PRESS)Buy Photo

ESSEX JUNCTION The smell of brown sugar and maplewafts out of Bhavatarini Carr's kitchen at Sweet Alchemy Bakery and Caf as she rushes around to preparefor Saturday's opening. Maple pecan coffee cakes are baking in the oven and molasses cookies are piled up in bags on the counter, bound for a nearby store.

Carr isn't new to the world of baked goods she's been satisfying many a sweet tooth in Vermont for years with Four SistersBakery, her wholesale home business that sells to stores and cafes in the area.But this new venture, complete with breakfast,lunch and her dream kitchen to run,is all her own.

"I'm excited to have a space for people to come and gather," Carr said."Working from home you never get to communicate with the people who are eating your food, and you can't close that circle. I'm excited to get to know my customers and the people of Essex."

The items on the menu are magic tricks unto themselves, with unexpected ingredients masquerading as their more traditional counterparts to make gluten-free and vegan treats. Gone are the flour and butter, replaced with components like pumpkin and chickpeas.

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Trying out new concoctions is one of Carr's favorite things to do.

"Sometimes I get it in one shot and sometimes it takes me a couple of years," she said. "You have to be willing to play around with it. It's half art and half science, but eventually it becomes something you feel. I think it's a really interesting medium to work in."

While all the baked goods will remain gluten-free and vegan, her breakfast and lunch options will be vegetarian and sometimes incorporate flour or butter.

Sweet Alchemy baked goods are also available at a variety of stores and cafes in the area, like City Market in Burlington.(Photo: ABBEY GINGRAS/FREE PRESS)

"I'm looking forward to offering a wider variety of things," she said. "One is a sesame ginger blueberry waffle. The sesame is something my mother did growing up and it adds this cool savory note that goes great with maple syrup, I don't know how people couldn't enjoy them."

Her products already fly off the shelves at places like City Market in Burlington. The cookie monster cupcakes and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies have amassed a loyal fan base at Pingala Cafin Burlington, according to Charles Dowling.

"Her stuff is fantastic," said Dowling, a friend of Carr's and front-of-house manager at Pingala.

A chocolate almond lavender cupcake from Sweet Alchemy, made without gluten, dairy or soy products.(Photo: ABBEY GINGRAS/FREE PRESS)

Her father especially loves herbutternut squash mac and cheese, which will be on the menu.

"It's so yummy. My father is a huge cheese fan and he can't believe there is not butter or cheese in it, but I can't give away my secrets."

Carr spent severalyears living in India, which helped shape her appreciation for food.

"The way I was raised was that you cook with a mood of reverencethat it's a privilege to be able to cook for people and be involved in that part of their day," Carr said."I try to think about that because I don't want to put a bad mood into what I'm cooking.I'm conscious as to what I'm putting out into the world."

The seating area inside Sweet Aclhemy is open and relaxed, with a perfect view of the dessert counter.(Photo: ABBEY GINGRAS/FREE PRESS)

Her life has been a blur these past few months as she moved to a new apartment and readied Sweet Alchemy before its official opening. The long hours and late nights are about to be put to the test when she opens her doors on Saturday.

"Vermont has always felt like home, and the overall foodculture is great," she said."I can create the kind of food I'm excited about and people are interested in it. People care about what they eat and where it comes from here, and I'm glad to be in a place like that."

Sweet Alchemy Bakery &Caf is located on the lower level of The Barns at Lang Farm off Vermont 15 in Essex Junction. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday (hours subject to change).

Sweet Alchemy Bakery &Caf

Address: 43 Upper Main St. Essex Junction

Website:https://www.facebook.com/sweetalchemyvermont/

Phone: 802-662-5905

Contact Abbey Gingras at agingras@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1875. Follow her on Twitter@abbeygingras.

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