Bakery and restaurant are community's sweet spot

By Laurie Gordon

With locations in Sparta and Andover, bakery, restaurant and catering business, Cafe Pierrot, has held a sweet spot in people's hearts since 1989. It's owned by Rick and Laura Nifenecker, and has established quite a reputation thanks to tracking and keeping up with culinary courses throughout the years.

“We always pay attention to culinary and baking trends,” Laura Nifenecker said. “Each year we focus on the latest wedding cake and specialty cake trends. Custom cakes and cookies are in high demand.”

The idea for the business started in the baking capital of the world: Paris.

“Rick was attending school at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris,” she said. “While sitting at a cafe on the Champs Elysees, we dreamed of opening our own cafe and naming it after the French clown Pierrot.”

Upon returning to the states, the dream came to fruition with the opening of Cafe Pierrot, in Andover, in 1989.

“The Andover location was strictly a bakery, and we always wanted to expand into a restaurant,” Nifenecker said. “We found the perfect location to complete that dream in Sparta.”

They opened a second location, in Sparta, in 1994 expanding into an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu plus adding catering. Since then, Cafe Pierrot had become a household name, locally, for great food and special events, some of which have been quite unique.

“Recently, we made donuts for a wedding instead of a wedding cake, and the bride's father built a custom donut wall,” Nifenecker said. “Guests loved it, and it was a fun opportunity for us to explore new donut flavors for the store. We also love to develop holiday catering menus, like Mardi Gras and Oktoberfest, so party hosts have more options for menus throughout the year.”

'Sugar, spice and all things nice, that's what girls are made.' Perhaps that's why these two confectioners had two daughters: Danielle and Stephanie. The girls grew up around and a part of the business and are now each is married with families.

Cafe Pierrot had enjoyed great longevity with two thriving locations.

“We have been blessed with a dedicated team who are passionate about cooking and baking,” Nifenecker said. “Many of our team members have been with us for over 10 years. Although there have been some difficult times, we made whatever adjustments were needed. We love the community we have built and work hard to continually serve our customers.”

The Andover Bakery is located at 212 Main Street (Route 206) in Andover and can be reached at 973-786-6069. It's open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. The Sparta Cafe is located at 19 Sparta Avenue and can be reached at 973-729-0988. It is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. For menus and further information about catering, call either location or visit https://cafepierrot.com.