The Pelzer owner Celina Del Castillo Lewis (left) speaks with Bath customers Alica LaFosse (second from left), Camille Kauffunger and Amanda McDaniel about the selection of baked goods. Paul Bagnall / The Times Record

After weeks of speculation about what was happening in a Bath Commercial Street storefront, The Pelzer Bakery and Restaurant finally opened its doors late last month, offering German-style baked goods.

The bakery opened on July 26 after owner Celina Del Castillo Lewis finished converting the space, formerly a beauty salon, into a restaurant. Lewis opened the restaurant in honor of her mother, Ingrid Pelzer, who greatly influenced Lewis, inspiring her to cook and bake.

“We had some really special years together,” Lewis said. “This means a lot to me, and I hope that I can make this restaurant a great name.”

Pelzer, 82, is a retired doctor who visits Maine every year. Lewis has spent countless hours gardening with her, leading to some of her most cherished memories.

Before Lewis opened The Pelzer, she was an award-winning graphic web designer and social media marketer, which she has carried into the design of her bakery’s menus and placemats. In the recent past, Lewis ran a small store called The Lewis Farm at her home in Phippsburg from 2019–2022, selling her apple nut bread, along with other baked goods like gluten-free date, apple and walnut bread, and a pastry called streuseltaler.

Lewis moved to Maine around 11 years ago from Berlin, Germany, working from home on various e-commerce websites. Maine was the perfect quiet place to do her work, she said.

One of the more unique food dishes Pelzer offers is the stick bread, a simple dough rolled up on a stick and given to customers to bake over an open flame to become nice and puffy with a hollowed-out center. Once the do-it-yourself campfire baking is ready, the bread gets served with herb butter and tomato soup. There is also a gluten-free option for what her menu refers to as the “stockbrot” experience.

“A dish is kind of like a piece of art,” Lewis said.

Lewis holds a praline cheese cake available for purchase at The Pelzer that opened at the end of July 2024. Paul Bagnall/The Times Record

Lewis plans to have a different band play at The Pelzer every Friday as the business evolves. She also wants to offer more lunch options, including homemade bread and sandwiches, like herring on a homemade baguette.

The Pelzer has a breakfast buffet that costs $10 per person and includes homemade rolls and English muffins. Lewis eventually wants to bring an herb garden to The Pelzer, reviving memories of the time spent with her mother at her home in Phippsburg.

German-style pies, such as squash pies, will be featured at The Pelzer in the fall. For winter, Lewis plans to serve glühwein, a spiced mulled wine that is a popular traditional winter drink in Germany. The word glühwein roughly translates to “glow wine” and contains spices such as cinnamon, clove and star anise.