LINCOLNVILLE — Residents and visitors now have more to-go or eat-in food options along Route 1, at Lincolnville Beach, with Nanette Gionfriddo's beachfront bookshop and gift store, Beyond The Sea Books & Gifts. The new café opened three weeks ago, soon after the book shop re-opened for the season.

“People were lingering over books and I just felt the need to feed them,” said Gionfriddo.

All winter, Gionfriddo has been remodeling the front counter section of her store with new plumbing, electrical and some light commercial kitchen equipment. The entire back of the store, which used to be a combination of bookshelves and gifts, has been transformed to a cozy nook not just overlooking the salt water marsh, but literally positioned right over it. So, those with a window view will feel like they are floating on a houseboat.

After the bookstore re-opened for the season, on Mother’s Day, it took a little more time to get the café ready. “We had hoped to open them at the same time, but had to take baby steps to get it ready,” she said.

Standing in her grandfather’s apron behind the counter, she pointed out that all of her baked goods are made from scratch, including three cakes under glass on the tiered cake stands, such as a double chocolate layer cake, and a carrot cake. Below on the counter, were miniature bites of the same cake in cupcake form.

“I have always enjoyed making cakes at home,” she said. “When I used to work at Wayfarer Marine, I used to make cakes like this and just bring it in for the crew.”

Beyond the sweets and coffee, she also offers to-go, take home and eat-in savory “comfort food” dishes, such as hot meatball subs, chili macaroni and cheese, barbecue franks and beans, as well as soups, chowders and stews. In the cold case, she also offers pasta salads, egg salad and tuna containers, salads as well as side dishes, authentic Italian subs and make to-order sandwiches as well.

“My specialty is the kind of out-of-state Italian sub that you’d want to see in Maine, with salami, mortadella, pepperoni, and capricola and provolone,” she said. “If someone is going to the beach or going to work, you can just jump in, grab a hot or cold drink and any of the to-go soup, sandwich or salad.”

“Locals have been very excited,” she said. “Some of the guys working across the street are coming over to take dinners home when they don’t feel like cooking at the end of the day.”

Upstairs, the book store has morphed into a combination gallery of artwork from local artists as well as specialty sections of used books.

On a rainy 50-degree June day, when no one wants to be outside, a hot coffee and a carrot cupcake while reading a book by a salt marsh is a book lover’s dream.

The store is closed Tuesdays in June, but then open seven days a week in July and August, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com