The sweet smell of fresh-baked pastries is once again wafting across the courthouse square in Adel now that the Brick Street Books and Cafe has opened its bakery headquarters in the former home of Al Dente Toffee at 109 N. Ninth St.
“We’ve been in here about two weeks,” said Sadona Moniabough, assistant bakery manager. “All the baked good sold in Brick Street are now made here, but we hope to open to the public for retail sales in a couple of weeks.”
The popular cafe at 803 Main St., on the south side of the Dallas County Courthouse square, opened in 2011 and serves breakfast and lunch along with fair-trade organic coffees, espresso drinks and a variety of baked goods.
The cafe operates as a sheltered workplace for individuals with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities.
Sarah Jones, senior job coach with Optimae Lifeservices and a baker at Brick Street, said the donut-making machine will be delivered soon, and the staff will need a week or so to practice with it before opening for retail trade.
“Once we get our system up and running, this should be a great little bakery,” Jones said.
Peggy Rager Deloriea, manager of Brick Street Books and Cafe, said the new retail bakery will offer new opportunities for Optimae’s developmentally disabled clients while also satisfying the sweet tooth of county workers and others who frequent the courthouse.
Rager Deloriea said the free-range eggs and produce used at the restaurant are brought in from Optimae’s organic farm near Redfield. Optimae also runs a number of other microbusinesses, she said, such as a food processing facility in Ames, a Des Moines coffeehouse, a retail furniture store and others.
Optimae Lifeservices’ motto is “At Your Side, On Your Side.” More information about the company and its services can be found on the Optimae Lifeservices website.
John and Laura Romano opened Al Dente in September 2013. They closed the N. Ninth Street retail outlet in May 2016 and now focus their efforts selling online and at farmers markets.
I have been at the Brick Street place. I recommend it highly. I would dearly love to go back and sample the new bakery selections, diabetes be darned.