When he started to make plans for Town Market Andover, owner Tom Walsh knew he had to assemble an all-star team for the handsome, sophisticated cafe/bakery/wine shop/ice cream stand, where the motto is “Made fresh, made local.’’ He hired Mark Porcaro from Top of the Hub to direct the savory food program, which stretches from sandwiches to whole-grain bowls to soups and salads. CIA alum Rob McCarron, head of retail operations, has worked at L’Espalier and the Boston Harbor Hotel; his goal for the wine program, he says, is to feature slightly offbeat bottles from small producers.

But Walsh’s biggest coup might have been on the pastry side. Veteran Boston baker Lee Napoli (right) presides over a staff of four in the basement kitchen. Napoli arrives at 1:30 each morning to turn out the cookies, croissants, muffins, and more that are snapped up by eager customers. This may be one of the only places in the area where you can eat a rich, buttery kouign amann, without even attempting to pronounce its name; it’s been dubbed “queen’s pastry’’ here. The Breton baked good is already a beloved specialty at the market: One morning, Napoli ran a bit behind schedule producing them, and, she jokes, “It got a little ugly up there. I’ll never let that happen again.’’ Town Market Andover, 429 South Main St., Andover, 978-409-2329, www.TownMarketAndover.com.

JANE DORNBUSCH

Jane Dornbusch can be reached at jdornbusch@verizon.net.