Flitting along the creaky checked floors of The Nectary, Chef Mary Garrison moves behind her pastry case with ease. Dressed in a spotless black chef’s coat, her gentle voice fills the petite patisserie as she packs boxes with flaky almond croissants, key lime cupcakes, and slices of tiramisu roulade. Reaching behind the glass for a Honeymoon Chocolate Chip Cookie, she remarks to the regular she’s serving, “You got this one last time, didn’t you?” The cookie is one of her favorites, complete with honey-sweetened chocolate chips and a sprinkle of fleur de sel for a salty crunch.
The Nectary: A Petite Patisserie photograph by Catcher in the Rye Photography
Garrison’s precision as a pastry chef and person can be seen in every detail of The Nectary, from the tightly rolled sticky buns to the door handles shaped like whisks and rolling pins. Several years after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 2005, Garrison moved to Moore County to raise her three children. Seeing the need for a shop promoting sustainability, Garrison launched Willabee Market in Southern Pines in 2022, providing the community with a place to buy bulk goods, handmade soaps, honey from her own hives, and more.
“I was selling my honey and desserts at the market, which I loved — but I always hoped to open a space dedicated solely to baked goods.”
When a family in Vass contacted Garrison about their vacant building on Bank Street, she saw an opportunity to draw more visitors to different side of Moore County.
Housed inside a former watch and jewelry shop built in the 1800s, Garrison’s micro-patisserie provides a narrow space for patrons to line up and two compact window seats — but the atmosphere’s closeness creates its own kind of buzz, much like the creatures that inspired the space’s name. Bee-themed touches can be seen all around: Honey from local hives lines the shelves, and treats like carrot-hot honey danishes and honey tarts make a regular appearance in the pastry case.
Most weekends, a line weaves its way out the door, spilling out to the gravel parking lot. Usually it’s a trail of friends, old and new, who have traveled to Vass just for this. “Oftentimes, our guests ask, ‘Why Vass?’” Garrison smiles. “I live here, and I want to bring people to this place I love so much. Also, Vass is a community that’s largely agricultural. It only makes sense to bring The Nectary to a place where the produce of our land is celebrated and elevated.”
Dappled with early morning sun, Garrison decorates a chocolate cake with cosmos blooms, making them appear as if they sprouted from the sponge. It’s in moments like these that she sees parallels of her work within the delicate blossoms. “I feel like being a beekeeper and being in tune with nature’s rhythms has helped me shape my perspective. I love that a flower can so effortlessly bloom in the middle of nowhere and it will attract what it needs to attract to keep growing and thriving. I believe that’s what we’re doing here — bringing something beautiful to a place folks might not notice otherwise.”
The Nectary: A Petite Patisserie
121 Bank Street
Vass, NC 28394
Open Fridays and Saturdays
instagram.com/thenectaryapetitepatisserie
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