RICHMOND -- Bread baked in Litchfield. Meat cut in Bowdoinham. Coffee roasted in Newcastle. Produce grown in Woolwich, Thomaston, Dresden and farms in other local towns. And pies and pastries baked on site in Richmond.

Those are the foods the owner of a new cafe and market in downtown Richmond is looking to bring together at The Garden of Eatin'.

Dresden resident Jim Peterson said he's trying to stock his new business in the former site of the Front Street Market convenience store with as much locally-grown and -produced food as he can.

"My lifelong interest in agriculture brought me to a place where I believe very strongly in local agriculture, and keeping the money locally," said Peterson, who also operates Sonshine Growers, a greenhouse in Dresden. "If we support our local farmers, we're going to keep our land open, like we want it. If we don't keep our land open, they'll have to change that sign that greets people as they come into Maine, to say, 'Maine: The way life is in every other part of the country.'"

The business, which was to open Friday, will have a deli counter offering sandwiches on freshly-baked bread, as well as pies and pastries baked on site by kitchen manager Kerrie Fairbrother, of Dresden. It will have a couple of tables for diners inside and another few outside on the sidewalk, under a large new canopy hanging off the front of the Front Street building.

Pre-packaged meat such as steak and sausages cut by Brad Russell of Russell meats in Bowdoinham will be for sale for takeout. Fresh bread baked at Black Crow Bakery in Litchfield, as well as bread from other bakeries, will be available. And fruits and vegetables from a number of area farms, including Swango Farm in Woolwich and Weskeag Farm in Thomaston, will also be available.

Salad greens from Locally Known Farms in Bowdoinham will be for sale, and salads-to-go, some with homemade salad dressings, will be ready for customers.

The business will be open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Eventually, Peterson plans to offer boxed lunches and dinners available for takeout, including rotisserie chicken. The meals would change daily.

"We're not a restaurant, so we're not going to have a huge menu," Peterson said. "But, on a daily basis, we'll feature two or three different meals. We might do a prime rib for, say, a Sunday meal, and have a vegetarian meal another night."

Peterson is leasing the 1,100 square foot business site, which sits across the road from the town's riverfront Fort Richmond Park.

Peterson knows, particularly in the winter, it won't be possible to stock only local foods. The market will be open year-round, however, with much of the food just coming from farther away when not in-season in Maine.

Peterson said his Sonshine Growers greenhouse, which grows vegetables and herbs seasonally for Bonnie Plants, for distribution to big-box stores, is only busy part of the year, freeing up time to start another business.

"I drove around the corner one day and the store was vacant," Peterson said of his decision to open The Garden of Eatin'. "I said to myself, 'Am I nuts to start another business?'"

The business received a revolving loan fund loan from the town of about $20,000.

"He's made significant remodeling improvements inside and out and we're really looking forward to a local, sustainable market that offers fresh foods and produce," said Community and Economic Development Director Darryl Sterling. "I think it's an excellent fit. We're bucking the trend in having locally and regionally grown products not only as an alternative, but as a real staple for the people of, and visitors to, Richmond. Between new businesses and downtown revitalization and the waterfront, we're building a foundation here."

Peterson planned to celebrate the market's opening by giving a free onion to each customer Friday. He said he's giving away onions because he wanted to do something more memorable than give away free coffee.

"We'll have all the flavors of the farmlands," Peterson said. "I hope people come to us because we're focusing on local. You're supporting your neighbors."

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647

kedwards@centralmaine.com