BLAKELY — Nicole Dubiac grew up around a bakery and missed the calm, focus and joy found when making something with her hands.
Dubiac, 31, spent many days and hours around Royal Bakery in Exeter — owned by her father for three decades — where she developed a love of baking.
“I always went there after school, and I missed that environment,” she said.
Six years ago, Dubiac earned a master’s degree and started a career in the mental health field as a therapist. While rewarding, she kept feeling a pull back to the kitchen.
“The creative side of me was kind of missing and I wanted to get back into that,” Dubiac said.
Dubiac started dabbling with custom royal iced cookies again about five years ago.
“Any kind of theme people want, that’s kind of my forte,” she said.
Gluten-free s’mores bars available at Blank Slate Bakehouse on Main Street in Blakely. (COURTESY BLANK SLATE BAKESHOP)
Chocolate cupcakes filled with raspberry and chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream at Blank Slate Bakehouse on Main Street in Blakely. (COURTESY BLANK SLATE BAKEHOUSE)
Custom royal iced cookies created for a customer at Blank Slate Bakehouse in Blakely. (COURTESY BLANK SLATE BAKEHOUSE)
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Gluten-free s’mores bars available at Blank Slate Bakehouse on Main Street in Blakely. (COURTESY BLANK SLATE BAKESHOP)
In September, Dubiac and her husband, Jose Paramo, 33, saw a TikTok video showing a bakery space for rent in Blakely and started moving forward with their plan for Blank Slate Bakehouse. They opened the shop at 1000 Main St. on Dec. 20.
“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for years, and the opportunity presented itself,” Dubiac said.
Paramo noted the process moved fast after their initial interest.
“The same day, we said let’s go take a look at it,” he said. “It happened so quick.”
Dubiac finds it rewarding to operate a nut-free bakery that provides customers gluten-free and vegan treats, including muffins, cakes and cupcakes.
“With my own personal experience with food allergies and intolerances, I want to include people and make sure they have options,” she said. “We had a ton of families come in saying my son has a nut allergy, and we haven’t even been able to bring him into a bakery or get him a birthday cake. I would like to get to a point where word spreads and people travel here.”
Paramo added the goal is to eventually start offering catering for events in the coming years.
“That’s obviously a dream,” he said. “We want to aspire to get to a bigger platform.”
Additionally, Paramo believes the bakery — open each Thursday and Friday from noon to 5 p.m., Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. — features a welcoming vibe for customers.
“They can see themselves spending time here,” he said. “We wanted to make this a cozy, inviting space.”