When Dayton transplant Glenda Jones whipped up a few tasty treats for Taste of Loveland back in 2012, she didn’t anticipate the buzz her decadent desserts would generate, let alone the lovely little bakery that would become a mainstay in the Loveland culinary community.
“I really did Cocoa Bites on a whim. I’ve always done creative work—from flower arrangements to design, mostly home design—and that led to baking and designing desserts.”
“After Taste of Loveland, everyone kept urging me to open up a store. I waited for months and months, looking for the right location. Then our corner spot became available, but it was super scary. It had been used for storage, so I ended up gutting the entire place.”
Glenda would go on to open the shop officially in July 2013 with just a few signature items. She slowly progressed to offering lunch and eventually became known for her stunning “naked” wedding cakes. Naked cakes are a more minimalist style using slightly less frosting while relying on seasonal flowers and fruit for decoration.
These days, visitors to her shop can expect to find three to four cakes available by the slice; up to a dozen flavors of cake truffles, cookies and cookie bars; pies; an array of exquisitely frosted cupcakes; and even a classic high tea service by reservation.
“We’ve been doing lunch for about three years. We do a lot of paninis—peaches and basil with fresh mozzarella, green apples and grilled onions, pesto, chicken and avocado—I try to come up with sandwiches that people aren’t going to find everywhere,” Glenda says.
Glenda, like many chefs, is inspired to cook seasonally. Her lunch menu will incorporate produce items at their peak of freshness as do her cakes, cupcakes and pies.
“I really like going to Jungle Jim’s, Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods to just see what is beautiful and fresh. Once I do that, I know what to go with,” she says.
With the holidays right around the corner, Glenda and her team are working overtime to stock the shelves with plenty of over-the-top offerings that will make entertaining a piece of cake.
“I’m still narrowing down my Thanksgiving cake menu. We’ll have pumpkin cheesecake for sure and probably our carrot cake. But for pies, we will offer pumpkin, apple, caramel apple, and people will still order coconut cream because we are so known for that pie,” she says.
305 W. Loveland Ave., Loveland, 513.677.2525, Facebook.com/CocoaBites