In this bleak midwinter, something fresh and green and sweet has appeared alongside Route 11 in Andover, just before it turns left toward Franklin: the front door of Tarte Café and Bakery, opened on February 12 by Andover native Corinne Cline. It’s at 46 Main Street next to the Bear Hollow Trading Post and Naughty Nellie’s Ice Cream.

If anyone wants to revitalize, and get a caffeine fix, at this time of year, this is the place to go. There are croissants with a crisp outer shell that fractures into shards with a rich melting butter dough inside, double-enhanced by creamy almond filling if you want. Or lemon ginger or cranberry scones, cookies, little maple cranberry cakes, iced chocolate cupcakes drizzled with salted caramel, and soldierly rows of pale lavender, pink, and yellow French macarons. And the best jelly donut you’ll ever eat. Plus dark and steaming coffee from a shiny new espresso machine, and regular brewed coffee. Be warned: it’s a seductive combination. Be prepared to be tempted and succumb.

Corinne, the daughter of Lorraine Cline, a marketing consultant, and Don Cline, a stained glass artist, grew up in Andover and went to the Andover Elementary/Middle School. After graduating from Proctor Academy, she attended the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She had already decided to become a baker. “I baked quite a bit as a kid and always had an interest in creating sweet desserts. I’m all about the pastries.” In Cambridge she studied under a Master French Pastry Chef, the highest rank of pastry chefs in France.

After successfully completing a professional degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, she got her first job at Flour in Boston. Flour is the brainchild of Joanne Chang, a Harvard Business School graduate whose bakery and cafe, now a small chain, brought the bakery-and-coffee concept to new heights.

At Flour, “we did the production for three of the four locations, so I got some large-production experience and an understanding of organization and inventory. I learned what worked and what didn’t work. Doing production in the back taught me a lot that helped me jump-start my own business.”

She returned to Andover and started with a commercial kitchen in her parents’ basement. “I always wanted a cozy cafe and wanted to bring that home, and I thought the area was ripe for a French pastry shop,” since none other exists.

Her story runs counter to the much-publicized trend of young people leaving New Hampshire for Boston or New York. She says, “I did my time in Boston as, most New England kids do. But I love it here. It’s a great place to live and to continue my life.”

She hopes eventually to have 10 to 12 employees and so far has hired nine people. They are from Concord, Danbury, New London, Andover, Franklin, and Sutton, and they’re all under 30.

“This is our first retail location, but we’ve had a local presence in local farmers markets since we started at the New London Farmers’ Market in the summer of 2014. We also do weddings and cater events, and wholesale – such as 400 servings of cake a week for the Grappone Center in Concord. She is also selling to Schoodacs Cafe in Warner, Tucker’s in New London and Hooksett, and Proctor Academy departments, including the admissions office and the Proctor Ski Area for their races.”

When asked if she has a business plan, Corinne replied, “Nothing official, but the basic plan is to make people happy with food. We’d love to expand our retail section into multiple locations and expand our wholesale reach as well. We want to get high-quality pastries into as many hands as possible.”

Her marketing plan is to have her mother do it.

So far, business has been very good. “We did very well during our opening weekend. Time will tell.” She hopes to recoup her investment in the new location in six months to a year.

What makes her think that people will pull into the parking lot? “We’ve had a lot of local commuter traffic. We have a really lovely sign. We’re also one of the only bakeries around. The next nearest is Concord or Hanover. So we’re really in a niche market in this area.”

Does she have any special plans to reach out to the local community? “We do plan to hold classes once we’re a little more established. We’ll put out a class schedule and invite everyone. I also plan to work with Proctor Academy students if they want internships. We already have one student from the New England Culinary Institute in Montpelier, Vermont.”

What is her dream? “I love being in the kitchen. Eventually I hope to see myself being able to step aside from the day-to-day production to experiment with new pastries and new products, to write a cookbook or two, and to explore other aspects of the culinary world. Teaching. Some TV appearances. I’m very interested in education in pastry.”

Her goal is “to be successful with my business, whether it’s locally or bigger than that. I don’t have any demands on myself to become a big celebrity chef. I want to come into the kitchen every day and enjoy being there. I want to continue to travel and continue my education through travel.”

What are her favorite TV cooking shows? The Great British Baking Show.

Where would she go for the best pastries? France.

Where would I go? Tarte.