Salsa, sauerkraut, cheeses and croissants — not to mention red hot dogs, fingerling potatoes, popcorn, cauliflower and scones. You can find these and a lot of other treats and staples — most made or grown in Maine — at Corner Market.
The seasonal market, at the intersection of Harpswell Neck and Mountain roads, opened for business in May, to the delight of customers who had referred to the original three-decade-old Vegetable Corner as “Veggie Corner” or “Ray’s.” Longtime owners Ray and Violet Tetreault died one week apart last year, shortly after shuttering the business. Maine native Katie Rollins and her husband, Joe Cheuvront, bought the property in October.
Rollins grew up in Bowdoin and went to Mt. Ararat High School, while Cheuvront (pronounced Chevron) is from Virginia. The couple met at a wedding in the British Virgin Islands. “It was obvious she was the one,” said Cheuvront. “She’s smart and super funny.” They married on nearby Peak’s Island in 2011 and have two sons: Reid, 10, and Jules, 8.
On a recent sunny day in late spring, Rollins was dashing around the market, a whirlwind of energy as she moved condiments from one display to another.
“This is Joe’s business, but I’m helping him,” she said.
“Katie is hugely type A. She’s got hundreds of things going on up there,” Joe said, pointing to his head. “She’s involved in everything (and) talking to different vendors and farmers.”
He’s soft-spoken with a quick sense of humor. In the kitchen, he’s no-nonsense and strictly focused. “My mom was a bit of a perfectionist, and that’s how I approach things in the kitchen,” he said. “I like attention to the finer details.”
A graduate of Colgate University with a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University, Rollins, 51, is the businesswoman behind the market. Over the years, she’s relied on her MBA to help build hedge funds and other companies while living in Chicago, San Francisco and New York.
Cheuvront studied photography in college before trading a darkroom for a kitchen. In 2004 he graduated from New York’s prestigious Culinary Institute of America. He’s been a cook, caterer, chef, and purchaser of food and beverages. He was a chef for two years on a 165-foot private yacht and worked at restaurants in New York, including NoMad and Bouley.
The original market’s country atmosphere has mostly been replaced by an open concept of shelves and displays with clean, fresh lines, and bright LED lights. A glass case features freshly baked pastries and bread, including Cheuvront’s muffins.
“The bakery will be the main point of growth,” said Rollins, where her husband can put his culinary skills to work in the kitchen behind the main part of the small market. “Most people are asking for baked goods and (there are) a lot of requests for fresh produce.”
To the right of the market’s entrance are the familiar wood boxes with root vegetables and a long, chilled case with vegetables that look like they were picked hours earlier.
Customers won’t find the butcher shop-type meat that was Ray Tetreault’s specialty, although one shopper did come into the market exclaiming, “Where’s the beef?” Cheuvront will be making bakery items and to-go sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, eventually adding more products, like pizza or roasted chicken.
The first Maine item to sell at the market? Small-batch ice cream “sammies” from Afterglow Ice Cream in Embden. “It’s the first thing we set our hearts on,” said Cheuvront, 41, whose birthday is on Valentine’s Day. He’s constantly adding new items to the store. A few weeks ago it was pints of local Gelato Fiasco, including Dark Chocolate Noir sorbet.
“We thought of this as something we’d do in five or 10 years, when our kids were older,” said Rollins. “It’s earlier than we planned.” Those plans changed when the market came up for sale.
Rollins’ father, a former high school history teacher, still lives in the house where she grew up in Bowdoin. Frequent visits to Maine over the years helped build relationships with local cheesemakers and farmers.
The market will be open Wednesday-Sunday from mid-May to mid-September. The family lives nearby, on Reach Road. For the offseason, they’ll return to Brooklyn, New York, where the boys attend school. The couple has no definite plans, said Cheuvront, for the house next to the store that was part of the sale.
While customers may miss the old market, a new generation has taken over and is just as welcoming.
“I’m impressed and looking forward to picking up meals to take home,” said Cindi King, of Stowe, Vermont, who was visiting friends in Harpswell. Added her husband, Brian, “I think it’s very handy having it here.”
