Satisfy your sweet tooth at Bloom Bake Shop in Madison. The bakery’s menu—jammed-packed with decadent cupcakes, pop tarts and cinnamon rolls—debunks the myths surrounding allergen-friendly desserts. And its savory offerings are just as tantalizing thanks to handmade biscuit sandwiches and a rotating assortment of seasonal specials.
“When you use good ingredients, things don’t taste bad,” explains owner Annemarie Maitri, reflecting on her desire to open a food-based business fully committed to using organic products (like sourcing eggs from Prairie Bluff Farm in Mount Horeb), plus sustainable practices in its daily operations (such as only using compostable takeout boxes).
“From the beginning, it’s been about community… because what we put in our bodies matters—for us and the environment,” she says. “My mother and father are responsible for instilling a passion for all things culinary. Their love and enthusiasm for fresh ingredients; cooking together; and enjoying meals as a family fostered a life-long interest, with not only wanting to find my way into a kitchen, but the desire to feed those around me.”
Describing Bloom’s community imprint as “small, but mighty,” she is proud to proclaim that for over a decade now, her team has never had to compromise those values. The accessibility has only continuously expanded by serving up gluten-free and vegan renditions of Chocolate Ganache Cream Cheese layer cake, Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts, and Sunflower Oat sandwich bread—customer favorites which are helping to keep the doors open for solely weekend “to go” service until the Safer At Home order is lifted later this spring.
Though the bakery may have limited offerings for the time being, Maitri is still experimenting behind the scenes whenever the mood strikes. “A new recipe comes to me in several forms; sometimes it’s inspired by an ingredient,” she reveals. “I then linger on the taste, the smell and flavor profile. Turning over in my mind ways to complement it. Other times, it’s the season that inspires me—either desiring to create something warm, cozy and comforting or a treat to honor summer in Wisconsin.” I look forward to tasting whatever edible marvels await on the horizon. In the meantime, she’ll find me in the pick-up queue almost every weekend until inside dining resumes.
For more information about Bloom Bake Shop in Madison, visit bloombakeshop.com.