The Quad Cities area is about to see a lot more cupcakes, Bundt cakes, pound cakes, gluten-free bread and other bakery goodies.
That’s because it’s bakery season in the Quad Cities. Several bakeries recently opened – or getting ready to open – across the region. And they are bringing with them an impressive, tasty array of treats.
The QCBJ takes a look at some of the new bakeries putting roots in the QC.
Nothing Bundt Cakes
“There has been such a sense of spirit, a sweet spirit, here. …The community has been very supportive of this business,” said Heather Sowards, owner of the new Nothing Bundt Cakes shop in Moline. That business opened late April at 3923 41st St.
During grand opening events on April 21 and 22, dozens of customers crowded into the bakery near the Moline Wal-Mart. Some of the Bundt cake offerings include: lemon, carrot, classic vanilla, confetti, red velvet, chocolate chocolate chip and snickerdoodle.
Ms. Sowards told the crowd that her personal favorite is lemon. “But now I’m getting into the snickerdoodle mood,” she added.
The crowd was buying all those flavors. Employees said the best-selling flavor is chocolate chocolate chip.
Life Breads Gluten-Free Bakery
Shortly after the grand opening ceremonies at Nothing Bundt Cake in Moline, a new gluten-free bakery opened in the Hilltop neighborhood in Davenport.
The long-awaited Life Breads Gluten-Free Bakery, located at 1509 Harrison St., in Davenport’s Hilltop Campus Village, had a soft opening for business owners and managers on Saturday, April 22, and a grand opening for the public a week later.
“I’m excited. It’s finally here,” said Todd Herzog, owner and baker at Life Breads. “We’ve got a good location.”
The goal was to introduce their new bakery to others – such as restaurant owners and managers, grocery store managers and more – in hopes of getting Life Breads’ baked goods and gluten-free items into other local businesses.
Plans for the Davenport storefront bakery began to unfold last summer. Setting up the business was a lifelong dream of Catherine “Cat” Herzog. She was busy expanding and transforming the business into a storefront bakery in early August when she died unexpectedly. The family tragedy delayed the opening of the bakery, but her family members got the storefront open in late April.
Meg Reed, the general manager of Life Breads and one of Ms. Herzog’s daughters, said her mother would have been proud the storefront business was open. “It’s everything my mom would have wanted. In my head, I can hear her giggling,” she added.
Molly’s Cupcakes
The area also will be welcoming Molly’s Cupcakes. The popular cupcake and dessert bakery in Iowa City is getting set to open in Bettendorf. The bakery is scheduled to open in July at 2503 53rd Ave. (formerly Meatheads Meat Market.)
The business will hire 20 to 25 employees and should begin hiring in June, said Jamie Skinner, owner of Molly’s Cupcakes in Iowa City and the co-owner of the new Bettendorf site. Sierra McVietty of Geneseo, Illinois, is the other co-owner of the new Molly’s and Ms. Skinner’s business partner.
“It’s been very heartwarming. I really underestimated how many people in the Quad Cities know about Molly’s,” said Ms. Skinner, who added that she has received many welcoming comments since announcing Molly’s plans to come to the Quad Cities.
