Who else is excited for a new pizza restaurant on Main Street? Not only will Live Free and Dine provide an extra option for pizza, but it will also provide specialty pizzas, subs, sandwiches, calzones, salads, entrees, appetizers, and a bar located towards the back of the restaurant. These options come from just looking at a menu. I found a lot more inside the new restaurant when I walked in.

Alex Lowell is a twenty-three year old from Massachusetts who has had big dreams of owning a pastry shop since she was ten. Lowell graduated from SNHU in 2015 with a degree in Baking and Pastry. Then in 2017, she received her master’s in Culinary Business Management.

Lowell says her parents have always been supportive of her dreams. Her father was the one who recommended buying out the spot where Live Free and Dine sits, which was previously a pizza restaurant. “I knew by the front door that I wanted it,” said Lowell when she visited.

The front door of Live Free and Dine is snug in a building just past the Lucky Dog on Main Street and leads to a walkway which divides the restaurant in two, a room for take- out, where the kitchens behind the counter, and a larger dining room that extends past framed archways into a contemporary-style bar.

I entered the take-out section of the building and spoke with Lowell for a short fteen minutes, as long as it took for the take-out I ordered to cook and be ready. Lowell seemed excited and proud of the work she was doing in her restaurant. She wore regular work clothes, a camo ball cap, a gray t-shirt and dark pants. When I asked what sets Live Free and Dine apart from the other restaurants on Main Street, she said, “We have bigger portions and o er them at a reasonable price. I make all my own pastries and desserts, and I’d say about 95% of the menu is homemade.”

Lowell admitted her hopes of expanding the restaurant’s menu; including more entree style dishes and eventually serving pizza by the slice. Lowell also explained her hopes of building the restaurant up enough that she can provide delivery for her customers.

I prodded further into Lowell’s homemade dishes. She said, “I wouldn’t serve them [my customers] anything I wouldn’t eat.” She gets her ingredients from DFG Foods, US Foods, and she receives all of her produce from local company Smilee’s Produce.

Lowell said she likes to experiment with different dishes and is anticipating new dishes to be added to the menu. The more the name of her restaurant gets publicized and the more customers she gains.

Already, Live Free and Dine has been making an impact on Main Street. Having o cially opened on January 10th, Lowell already states she has had lots of customers, some new and some regulars.

The more we talked the more Lowell seemed to have large plans for Live Free and Dine. “Eventually,” Lowell said, “I want to do breakfast.” As it is now, the store only opens after eleven and on weekdays closes at nine. “I’m hoping we’ll eventually be able to stay open later as well,” Lowell said.

Staying open later, and serving pizza by slices, plus delivering orders, is sure to get Live Free and Dine as much business as Keith’s or Downtown Pizza, also on Main Street. Lowell acknowledged the competition the other two businesses may give her and said, “There’s always going to be competition. I just need to get my name out there.”

In addition to serving all the basic dinner and lunch meals, Live Free and Dine will bake and decorate specialty cakes on occasion. “I just nished up one cake for a customer having a party. I’ll do weddings, parties, anything”, Lowell said.

On top of all this, Live Free and Dine offers a full-service bar that has wines, liquors, beers and specialty drinks to come. The previous restaurant didn’t use the bar, but since Lowell has gotten her hands on it she’s prepared to use it to its full potential.

All in all Live Free and Dine is owned by a con dent young adult who is making her way in the world as any of us here at Plymouth State. Personally, after walking home with my take out, and tasting the small pepperoni pizza and onion rings, I know for a fact I won’t order from anywhere else on Main Street. Live Free and Dine is a classic diner with homemade recipes that Lowell either found herself, or found on Google and tweaked a little to make them her own.

This restaurant has some great potential to go far. Being a jack of all trades will certainly help Lowell get customers from all angles. Not only does the diner serve great food but the pastries are getting acknowledgement as well.

Lowell bakes croissants, brookies (a brownie cookie hybrid), double chocolate cookies, triple chocolate cookies, cakes, macaroons and pas- tries of all kinds. Students and residents of Plymouth, NH will bene t from the cheap prices, large portions and variety of Live Free and Dine’s menu. Likewise, Lowell will bene t from the business, and expand to o er customers more of the exciting new ideas she has to o er.

So, next time you’re looking for take-out or to dine in don’t forget Live Free and Dine on 45 Main Street, Plymouth, NH! You can look them up on Facebook or nd Live Free and Dine’s website, www.live- freeanddinenh.com or reach them at (603)-536-2001.