Photo by LORETTA JACKSON Chef Lori Ann Paquette, owner of Extra Touch Gourmet in Bedford, offers her cafe patrons from Bedford, Merrimack, Nashua and the Greater Manchester area a wide variety of homemade soups and chowders, along with a full menu of breakfast and lunch items based on fresh ingredients and seasonal produce that often is utilized for corporate catering and for the call-ahead orders of folks on the go. The use of high-caliber ingredients is one she recommends for cooks and bakers of any skill level.

BEDFORD – The turkey is stuffed. Cranberries, washed. Veggies, drained. Oven? Cold as the shock of seeing the controls set at zero. Reluctant cooks whose mediocrity is embraced in the name of family togetherness are not beyond help.

Chef Lori Ann Paquette, 48, owner of Extra Touch Gourmet, a cafe and corporate catering business in Bedford, contends that anyone can cook. She launched a baking business at age 12 by selling a decorated wedding cake.

“My mom persuaded two ladies who ran a cake decorating school at Eaton’s Cake Decorating & Candy Supplies in Hooksett to let me take instruction at age 11,” Paquette said. “Pretty soon, they said, ‘The student has surpassed the teacher.'”

Paquette counsels novices to learn by watching friends who are good cooks by reading cookbooks and by watching videos online. She offers advice for preparing holiday meals that guests surely will rate with five stars.

“Quality ingredients are really important,” Paquette said. “Products have different levels of moisture and too many have flavor enhancers, so good quality is the best way to go.”

The attendee of Johnson & Wales University, a Rhode Island institution renowned for its culinary program, has spent time as the executive pastry chef at a food co-op in Concord. Her online cake baking business offers unique creations, sometimes festooned with hand-made petals of sugar paste formed into roses, hydrangeas or other requested flowers. Their detailed leaves and stems add to the luxury.

Holiday cooking and baking is rarely so fancy, but Paquette said “a lot of stress” can be sidestepped by planning ahead. She recommends making the stuffing the day before a big event. Beware when defrosting the turkey.

“Take ample time to let a frozen turkey thaw in the refrigerator, inside a pan deep enough to catch any drips,” Paquette said. “Food safety is critical, so the bird should never be thawed outside of the fridge.”

Her passion for cooking is displayed during breakfasts and lunches at Extra Touch Gourmet – an enterprise she purchased in 2017 on the ground floor of a two-story white building that houses the New Hampshire Neurospine Institute.

Local business owners are repeat customers for her corporate catering services. In the cafe, Paquette is assisted by a skilled team including Chef Hannah Quinn, of Manchester. Onsite, customers enjoy ample seating and seasonal decor. Gift baskets are displayed. An outdoor patio is bordered with flower boxes. She incorporates seasonal ingredients into her menu.

“Don’t be afraid – just believe in yourself when you’re cooking,” Paquette said. “It’s patience and attention to detail that make a great meal.”

Paquette’s soups and chowders, sandwiches and bagels, along with freshly baked muffins and cookies draw a cadre of “regulars.” Orders for pickup are phoned to the staff. Jams and sauces from Stonewall Kitchen in Maine are popular. Coffee is locally sourced from New Hampshire Coffee Roasting Co.

Foodies from Bedford, Merrimack, Nashua and the Greater Manchester area make their way to Extra Touch Gourmet between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Breakfast and lunch are always served with side orders of smiles.

Paquette credits her mother, Carmel Handley, 77, and her late father, Gerry Handley, who passed three years ago at age 76, for sharing their love of cooking. When unexpected guests arrived, she said her dad would “break out some more vegetables” to stretch the bounty.

“Food creates memories,” Paquette said. “It brings you back to your childhood.”

Her spirit of entrepreneurship is well supported at home in Hooksett. Michael, her husband of 27 years, whom she met at age 14 while roller skating, is a certified financial planner. She calls him, “my treasure.” A son, Derik, 23, is a chemical engineer, and another, Gerid, 26, has earned his master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

“Enjoy what you do,” Paquette said. “If you surround yourself with happy people, even if you’re not the best cook in the world, you’ll be happy, too.”

She allows that the timid may be tempted to order a pre-cooked holiday meal from a supermarket and disguise it with dishes and bowls from the kitchen cupboard. No need, Paquette said.

“Believe in yourself,” she said. “If you’re going to cook a turkey, start with a chicken.”