By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — The owner of Chute’s Cafe knows all kinds of stories about the early days of the well-loved and longtime diner in South Casco.

That is because the new owner’s parents and grandparents used to run the restaurant that first opened its doors in 1977. Since then the business — but not the land — has been bought by various entrepreneurs who kept the diner open under the same name. So, with the exception of being Chute’s Country Tea Room, the diner has been known as Chute’s Cafe for decades. All the while, the property was kept in the family.

Kristin Chute recently welcomed the business opportunity to own and manage Chute’s Cafe. After all, she spent a decade working under an accomplished chef in the region. Simply put, she was raised around restaurants.

“I was called the ‘Bakery Baby.’ My mother would have me in the stroller next to her while she was decorating cakes,” Kristin said. “So, I was born into this.”

People who frequent the restaurant or saw the marquee from Route 302 have stopped in to say they are delighted that Kristin is taking over. People are hopeful that homemade favorites will return to the menu.

“The biggest feedback I have received is: ‘Wow that is amazing. Are you going to start using your grandfather’s recipes? Are you going to start making the bread from scratch and the donuts from scratch?’ ” Kristin said.

Yes, she does plan to incorporate those family recipes that were handed down to her aunt Maila Chute Stevens, who along with her husband runs Chute’s Family Restaurant in Windham.

“I am working closely with my aunt Maila to get my grandparents’ recipes — everything from bread to beans,” she said.

It’s as though Kristin was groomed for this moment in time.

“I worked 10 years under Chef John Strain at Migis Lodge,” she said.

“They know how to give their guests the Maine experience. And that is exactly what I’ll be doing here. That is part of my vision: to provide the Maine experience for the locals and also for the tourists. My focus is to buy products that are made in Maine, to use and sell products that are locally-made,” Kristin said.

In addition to serving food, customers will be able to purchase Maine-made items, usually food products.

“For example, we are serving Maine maple syrup from Sweet Williams. Then, we’ll sell bottles of their syrup,” she said.

“I’m hiring a local potter to make the mugs for the Mug Club,” she said. “That is a tradition since we opened. You buy a mug, you get $1 refill, you serve yourself the coffee, you wash your cup and you hang it back up. Some people have passed away and sometimes their kids will come in and use their mug.”

Starting this month, Chute’s Cafe will be baking pies for Thanksgiving and for the holidays. People can order those in advance.

“People can pre-order holiday pies. My cook is quite the baker,” Kristin said.

In the coming months, the menu offerings will expand to cover both breakfast and lunch. 

“Right now, we are only doing breakfast. But, I am making arrangements to start lunches in December,” Kristin said.

What she envisions long-term is to transform the main entrance with the breakfast bar into a bakery display case and a place where people could get lunches to go. The current dining room would still provide a place for people to sit down for breakfast and lunch, she said.

“I want to do some grab-and-go sandwiches. My focus is on folks in the area who work and want to grab a quick lunch,” Kristin said.

“I am focused on quality and healthy options because there are so many of us who cannot eat certain things. I am developing options that are for special diets,” she said. “There are so many people with food allergies. In our family, there are people with food allergies.”

Kristin is excited to have found plates with a replica of the blue pattern just like the plates her grandmother served food on. 

“It was originally called Chute’s Country Tea Room. She [my grandmother] would serve tea cakes. They are tea cakes the size of a saucer,” Kristin explained.

Her grandmother is Gloria Peace Day Chute who married Edward Chute. The couple has had a positive impact on the community as well as 50-plus grandchildren. 

Like familiar food, the history of the community is another thing people find satisfying.

On a regular basis since she started managing Chute’s Cafe, family members have stopped by to visit, Kristin said. 

“My aunt Ruthie and a few of our cousins came for lunch the other day and they started crying. It brought tears to their eyes that we are continuing such an important part of our family history. Not only does it continue it, but it brings alive the history,” she said.