Retiring Nahant town administrator to try out as baker

NAHANT – Town Administrator Mark Cullinan will be starting again after 17 years in the town’s top job, but this time as an intern.”I’m being considered to be a baker’s apprentice at a bakery in Boston,” Cullinan said recently. “I did have some offers in other jobs but, after I thought about it, life is short? Been doing this for a long time, now I’ll spend some time changing direction a little.”Cullinan announced in June that he was retiring effective Nov. 5, after 17 years as the Nahant Town Administrator.He entertained offers with utility companies and eventually would like to use his engineering degree and management experience in the non-profit world, but first he’s hoping that his next step will be in a kitchen at Flour Bakery in Boston.He’s scheduled for a “staging” – basically a temporary try-out – at the award-winning bakery with locations in the South End, Cambridge and the Waterfront.He said his interest in baking began about a decade ago, but he has a long tradition in the kitchen.”I grew up in a large, multi-generational Irish Catholic household,” he recalled. “We always had a family supper. It was the one meal you could not miss.”His wife comes from a similar household and they both made the kitchen the focus of their home as they raised their own children.”We spend a lot of time in the kitchen,” he said.In fact, the immediate family, including his son from New York, gathers most Sundays to cook dinner together.He started his interest in baking when the family began cooking pizzas on Sunday night, and this summer worked on perfecting pizzas on the grill.Each member of the family has to make their own dish, and each has his or her own specialty, Cullinan said.His wife Mary is a good cook and makes a mean cake. His daughter’s specialty is hummus, while his two sons specialize in sandwiches and Chinese food.But Cullinan focuses on breads.”I’ve always got bread doughs going and starters going,” he said. “I’m trying to perfect my dough and recipes. You can’t just go to a book and copy a book, you’ve got to tweak it.”And you must be persistent, he said.”You have to knead it by hand to make sure it feels right, and yes, it will be frustrating when you’ve spent a week preparing for a sourdough loaf that turns out burned, but it’s part of the appeal,” he said.”Baking is really focused,” Cullinan said. “You’re dealing with only a few ingredients – water, flour, yeast, then flavorings. You need to be patient.”He’s expanded his repertoire to include pastry doughs during the last two to three years, even though Cullinan insists he’s not a sweets fan.But he noted that all the tarts that he brings into City Hall somehow end up disappearing.Cullinan also usually makes dinner on Thursday nights when Town Hall is open until 7 p.m.”We hate to tell Mark that he makes anything good, he loves to hear it,” joked Administrative Assistant and Notary Public Katie Costin. “But the best is the spinach and fresh mozzarella pizza? He’s really an excellent cook. He always says, ?I’m not sure that it’s that good’ – which is ridiculous because he’s such a perfectionist.”But Cullinan insists that despite his slacking on dinners this summer, which Costin said was noticed, he will continue to provide dinners on Thursday nights.But, even after Cullinan retires, Town Hall workers need not despair about losing the town government’s only baker. Selectman Mike Manning is renowned for baking too.”I do pies, he does bread,” Manning said.Although Cullinan said that leaving the role of Town Administrator may have one negative consequence for his cooking.”All my produce comes from the community garden – why do you think (Paul Caira, garden guru) grows bok choy?” Cullinan joked. “One benefit of being Town Administrator is you can tell him what produce to grow.”