Lily’s in bloom Stonington restaurant part pub, truck stop, artists’ cafe

You’ve heard those tsk-tsk, told-you-so stories about chefs who move to Maine with a dream and a whisk. They want to live closer to the land and be quaint. But often they struggle to make it as the new kid on the block. They can’t fit in. Or they don’t understand the neighborhood. Or they serve latte. Tsk-tsk.

That approach never applied to Kyra Alex, chef at Lily’s Cafe in Stonington, and now author of the self-published “Lily’s Cafe Cookbook.” Alex moved from Ohio to Maine five years ago with a dream and a Kitchen Aid mixer. She bought an old house on the side of the road just outside Stonington proper, made it into a home, and started cooking. And the funny thing is: Alex and her chocolate layer cake, fresh doughnuts, tender crab cakes, steaming chicken pot pie, and soups too numerously intoxicating to list were an instant hit.

“People loved Lily’s immediately,” said Barrett Gray, proprietor of Boyce’s Motel in downtown Stonington. “When Kyra first moved here, she was the talk of the town. There was a line to get into the restaurant on opening day. She is still, by far, one of the most popular restaurants on the island.”

The popularity clearly has to do with the lovingly cooked food and the homespun atmosphere – all of which begins in Lily’s parking lot. Cooking and baking aromas waft out from the kitchen through the gardens, out to the street and announce the day’s fare. Inside, a display of fresh baguettes, fruit pies and chocolate chip cookies calls to customers. Right there, Alex or one of her workers greets every guest.

That’s also where orders are placed from a menu that includes Dave’s Reuben, Richard’s Big Mouth Burger, Cecil’s Chicken Sandwich, Kecia’s Cold Chinese Noodles, and Ethel’s Barbecue Pork – all named after local visitors whose taste requests have stood the test of time.

Alex’s new cookbook reflects a similar local spirit. In addition to recipes from her kitchen, Alex includes lyrically written reflections on life in Maine, her neighborhood and the patrons, many of whom are represented in photographs, who have helped shaped her as a chef.

The dining room is a cozy spot with six tables, wooden floors, art on the walls and Alex’s collection of quirky salt-and-pepper shakers. Several of the tables have window-frame tops and are, in fact, cases that contain memorabilia, shells, or crafts made by local artisans. The space is both welcoming and intriguing.

“Maggie and I really love it there. We love the atmosphere, and we find the food imaginative,” said Arnold Greenberg, a writer, educator and former owner of the Left Bank Caf? in Blue Hill.

That restaurant was as well known for its place on the national folk circuit as for Greenberg’s baked goods. But when the Left Bank changed hands in 1996, no subsequent owner has been able to replicate the wholesome food and hearthlike atmosphere, which Greenberg had created.

Lily’s, which some compare favorably to the Left Bank, is built upon the same principles of simplicity, practicality and accessibility to purses of all sizes. Though not located in the center of town, it is, like an Irish pub, a great leveler among social classes, lifestyles and eating habits.

“Everybody hangs out there. It’s that kind of place,” said Bunzy Sherman, one of Deer Isle’s many artists. “It just quietly happened. Kyra just came right in. There was truly a need for her kind of cooking, her kind of ambiance, and her kind of easy dining. And, of course, she’s inventive and independent and she doesn’t bug you. That’s important.”

By independent, Sherman means that Lily’s has unusual hours compared to many restaurants. It’s not open on weekends, and does not serve dinner every night. It’s Alex’s great love and privilege – she’ll tell you – to serve nourishing, delicious food to a dining room full of hungry people, but she also wants to participate in the community – she is an active member of the local chamber of commerce – as well as enjoy living in Maine and traveling when she can.

It’s an independence reflected in the cookbook, too, which Alex could have published with a tonier look. But she wanted to preserve her own approach and integrity and would have been unwilling to sacrifice the folksiness of the publication. Someday, she may go upscale with the book. Indeed, she is talking about such a project with a high-end publisher. If it happens, it will happen on her schedule.

When Sherman eats at Lily’s, she always orders the same sandwich: tuna fish on French bread. It’s simple enough, but when Alex or one of her staff members starts putting it together, a wizardry takes place. Sherman said it best: “I feel as if I have come home, in effect.”

Sherman and other patrons know that the history of Lily’s extends beyond their own memories of how Momma or Grandpa or the guy at the old family diner down the street used to cook. It’s Alex’s own past that shows up in her cooking. For eight years as a girl, Alex spent summer vacations with her Aunt Lily on Deer Isle. “I knew at 5 years old that I wanted to live here,” said Alex, who is 37.

For the next 25 years, she dreamed about going back to the island of her childhood.

But life intervened and before creating the career she now has in Maine, Alex had to grow up – first in New York City and then in Cleveland. As a teen, she began working in restaurants, an after-school job that continued while she earned a psychology degree at Miami University in Ohio.

“I ended up knowing more about food and the restaurant business that I ever knew about psychiatry,” said Alex.

Eventually, after many years of working for other food businesses, she opened The Production Line Caf? in a storefront in Cincinnati. That place was a hit, too, but after five years, Alex was burnt out and needed a change. Maine, she recalled, was still tapping at her thoughts. With the help of family members on Deer Isle, she bought the building that would become Lily’s. She was so sure the choice was right for her, she purchased the building over the phone. After that, it was as easy as packing a caseful of cooking utensils and moving to the place that had been calling for two decades.

“It was magic coming back here. Honestly. And the place hadn’t changed much since I was a kid,” said Alex, one recent day while taking a break between lunch and dinner courses at Lily’s, which is open year-round.

The real magic, say Lily’s fans, comes in the food. Made fresh daily, Lily’s offers selections from the freshest local products available. There’s a core lunch menu and three or four options a night for dinner, but the offerings change with the seasons and with Alex’s whims. What always stays the same is the low cost and home-cooked quality that doesn’t spare the eggs, butter and meat.

“I think anything in moderation,” said Alex. “It’s all natural and if you use it in moderation, you get the best results.” That means it’s up to you to show control with the chicken and corn chowder, potato salad, or raspberry cream muffins.

Never fear, however. This isn’t fried food or seafood – although scallops and crabmeat often show up on the menu.

“A lot of people think it’s granola food,” said Laurie Klemenz, Alex’s sidekick in the kitchen and a native of Stonington. She was busy in the small, well-organized kitchen making scallop pies with sage cream crust. “But it’s not. It’s food people look for. And the atmosphere is calm and soothing. You can always talk about your problems. By the time you’ve talked and eaten, you’re in a better mood.”

Lily’s Caf? on Route 15 in Stonington is open year-round. For information about hours or about Lily’s Caf? Cookbook, call 367-5936.