CLEVELAND — It has taken Caitlin Dobson six years to realize her goal, but last week she finally unveiled her appealing bakery and café in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. What started as a home-based cottage business selling to area coffee shops and restaurants has blossomed into regional wholesale business with products landing on the shelves of Whole Foods and Nature’s Oasis. Now, pastry lovers can pick up Dobson’s vegan, gluten-free and classic desserts, along with fresh-brewed Rising Star coffee, at the retail café.
“From the very beginning, Floressa was going to be a bakery and café,” Dobson says. “We finally got here after six years.”
Dobson purchased the building in 2018, literally saving it from the wrecking ball. After extensive renovations, the building now is home to a production kitchen and café. The pastry chef’s specialty is crafting allergy-friendly sweets that are vegan and gluten-free, but she also offers classic items made with eggs, flour, butter, milk and cream.
“We wanted to create a place that everyone could come and enjoy something with a loved one or a friend and not feel excluded,” Dobson says about the range of product. “But we also wanted to create an opportunity for people to try things that they might not have.”
For now, Floressa sticks to grab-and-go items like cookies, brownies, banana bread, pumpkin bread, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls and lemon bars. But in time, the cafe will expand into savory breakfast and lunch items like soups, sandwiches and quiche.
Dobson says that she chose Clark-Fulton as the home for beloved bakery for a number of reasons.
“There is a great culture here, the people are great and I live in the neighborhood,” she explains. “It seemed like a place that was expanding but also that wants to stick to its roots. the people are very invested in their community.”
Floressa's hours are currently 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can learn more about them as they expand, here.
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