Andrea “Gilly” Gillis didn’t grow up dreaming of being a baker. She grew up eating her mother’s baking.

“Weirdly enough, my mom was a great baker, but it never occurred to me that I should learn to bake. I would just eat her yummy treats,” Gillis said. What she did love was cooking with her grandmother, and that early hands-on experience eventually led her to the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

“I suppose it was a joint effort: my fam and Cambridge School of Culinary Arts,” she said. She credits one instructor in particular with shaping her direction. “Our baking instructor was awesome and inspiring. Chef Lisa was the best. I didn’t have much of a sweet tooth and wanted to try to make more desserts less sugary and more savory.”

From Bartending to Pastry Chef

Before she was a baker, Gillis spent years working as a bartender in the restaurant industry. The idea for Gilly’s Throwback Snacks grew out of two things: a love of afterschool corner store snacks, and a desire for a career change.

“I had never really seen anyone doing it. That was 2010, 2011, and there was my chance,” she said.

Connections from her bartending days led to her first job as a pastry chef. From there, she worked her way up to executive pastry chef for a restaurant group in Boston before deciding to strike out on her own.

With the help of her now-husband, Marc, and friends Michelle, Scott, Margie and Karen, along with what she calls “some rock ‘n’ roll pals,” Gillis began selling Gilly’s treats at rock shows, flea markets, the Fluff Festival and restaurants.

“We continued for a little while, then my sweet son was born, and Gilly’s took a back seat, until now,” she said.

Putting Down Roots in Maynard

When Gillis and her family moved to Maynard, she decided to commit to the business fully.

“My family and I have built, and continue to build, our future here,” she said. “Maynard is welcoming. It’s a town that respects the old but embraces the new. It’s a strong community with lots of history, and I feel like Gilly’s can be a part of the history as well as become a part of what’s to come. We’ve found a place where our family thrives. I love being a part of it.”

What Gilly’s Offers Today

Gilly’s now operates out of a brick-and-mortar space in the vestibule of Art’s Specialties at 25 Nason Street in Maynard, with outdoor seating available. The menu includes grab-and-go sandwiches alongside the throwback treats the business is known for: Ring Dingz, Gilly’s Family Soup Cake (a tomato soup cake), bundt cakes, cookies, classic scones and daily baked focaccia.

The business is also expanding into new offerings. Gilly’s recently introduced pasta-making classes, held the last Thursday of each month at Art’s Specialties. The first class is scheduled for Aug. 27, with limited space available; interested residents can sign up in person at the store or by emailing [email protected]. Additional pasta classes are planned at Barrels & Vines.

Gilly’s also takes advance orders and offers catering through its website, gillyssnacks.com, and has recently launched order-ahead take-home meals, with a full menu still to come.