Pastry chef Keegan Rodgers plans to open the Lakehouse Bakery by the end of June in the former Mill Pond Bakery space on Sugarloaf Lake. Rodgers, a manager at People’s Food Co-op in Ann Arbor who built up its bakery department, says his new bakery is a lifelong dream. “It’s what I’ve wanted since I was nine,” says the forty-eight-year-old. “I’ve always known that baking and creating something with my hands was where I found joy.”

His happiest memories of childhood were in the kitchen baking with his “Granny,” and when he learned about the lake property, with a two-bedroom home attached, he told her about it. “I said, ‘I want to do this, but I’m scared.’ She told me to go for it.” She died less than a month later, and Rodgers decided to take the leap. He purchased the property a year ago and with help from friends and neighbors on the lake has cleaned and renovated the space.

Mill Pond owner John Savanna specialized in traditional European sourdough breads. The bakery’s bread oven–with a stone hearth and steam injection–can bake up to fifty loaves at a time. Although Rodgers isn’t ready for high production yet, he says he’s selling out his cookies, breads, and other baked goods at the Chelsea Farmers Market, and he’s also hosting baking classes twice a month–from macaron making to pie baking. He says he plans a “grab-and-go cooler” with sandwiches and homemade soups–as well as milk, eggs, butter, and other staples. There will be seating for a half-dozen–or customers can nibble their treats outside with a view of the lake.

“For me it’s about comfort,” he says. “When you go to a lake, you’re going on vacation to relax–I’m offering items that go along with that.”

Lakehouse Bakery, 1534 Sugarloaf Lake Rd., Chelsea. (734) 306-3394, plans to open weekends beginning in late June. Check thelakehousebakery.com and Facebook page for updates.