By Rachael Shiebler

When Phippsburg residents gathered at the elementary school on June 10 for the town’s annual meeting, tucked among the 79 warrant articles was a change that could reshape how neighbors buy and sell food from one another: a food sovereignty ordinance.

The measure — listed on the warrant simply as an article to “protect sellers of local produce” — puts the town alongside more than 100 other Maine municipalities that have adopted local food sovereignty rules since the state first opened the door to them in 2017.

That year, the Maine Legislature passed the Maine Food Sovereignty Act, which recognizes a municipality’s home-rule power to set its own rules for local food traditions and for sales made directly between a producer and a consumer. These transactions happen face-to-face, at the site of production, through farm stands, farmers’ markets, buying clubs and similar direct arrangements. When a town adopts such an ordinance, the state agrees not to enforce certain food-licensing and inspection rules so that small-scale producers — bakers, backyard farmers and home kitchens — can sell directly to their neighbors.

Maine voters reinforced that authority in 2021, when they approved a constitutional amendment declaring a person’s right to grow, raise, produce and consume the food of their own choosing. Phippsburg’s June vote adds the town to that growing list.

Queen of Tarts: A business built for this moment

Few Phippsburg producers are better positioned to make use of the new ordinance than Christina McKenzie, the pastry chef behind Queen of Tarts Patisserie. Pending approval by the planning board in September, her home-based bakery on Main Road will begin taking orders only:

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McKenzie makes classic French pastries, cookies and artisan breads, blending traditional technique with inventive, seasonal flavor combinations.

McKenzie makes classic French pastries, cookies and artisan breads, blending traditional technique with inventive, seasonal flavor combinations. Her menu runs from macarons, éclairs and choux au craquelin to brioche doughnuts, flan, croissants, pain aux raisins, canelés, baguettes and rustic boules — the kind of technically demanding baking more often associated with a big-city patisserie than a coastal Maine town.

Croissants, almond-topped Danish, and pecan sticky buns in the Queen of Tarts display case

What sets her work apart is a sense of place. Alongside classics, McKenzie builds flavors around the seasons and the coast itself: Lilac & Honeycomb, Cherry Blossom Matcha, Blueberry Bubble Tea, Brown Butter Yuzu & Thyme, Brûléed Grapefruit and Beach Rose Vanilla Bean among her pastries and macarons; Sea Salt & Dill, Cherry Chocolate & Rye and Caramelized Onion & Gruyère among her breads.

Eggnog, Hot Cocoa, and Cranberry White Chocolate tarts — a holiday trio

One macaron, inspired by Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth, pairs a blue-and-yellow swirled shell — meant to evoke waves over sand — with wild beach rose jam and a piece of sugar “sea glass.”

The Kettle Cove macaron: a nod to the beach in Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Her range shows in the details as much as the flavors: a lemon meringue “New York Roll” layered with tart curd and a caramelized citrus wheel; a Chocolate Pistachio Choux au Craquelin finished with fresh pansies; a trio of holiday tarts (Eggnog, Hot Cocoa and Cranberry White Chocolate); a Raspberry & Vanilla Bean Éclair; and slices of Parisian Flan, baguette rounds topped with mascarpone, apricot, honey, and basil and more.

A lemon meringue “New York Roll,” finished with a caramelized citrus wheel

Chocolate Pistachio Choux au Craquelin, finished with fresh pansies

For a producer like McKenzie, Phippsburg’s food sovereignty ordinance is more than a policy footnote — it’s the regulatory opening that makes it realistic to sell directly from her own kitchen and property, without first taking on the cost and complexity of a fully licensed commercial storefront. It’s the kind of local rule that turns a home-baking practice into a real, sustainable small business.

A stand still needs the planning board

The ordinance doesn’t mean anything goes. Producers who want to sell directly from their own property — a farm stand, a bake stand, a self-serve table — should know that putting up a physical stand still requires going before Phippsburg’s planning board for approval. Setting rules for how the food itself can be sold and inspected doesn’t waive the town’s usual land-use process for a structure or stand on a residential property. Anyone planning a permanent or seasonal stand — or an online business like this — should contact the planning board at .

Do you want to be featured, or know a talented home producer? Contact Rachael Shiebler at or 970- 846-7632.