Dessert Tour: Florissant, MO
The late-night hour would roll around, and Justin would leave my city apartment and travel north to his family's home in Florissant, Missouri. We met in 2017, and as I've gotten to know him and his family, I've also developed familiarity with the city. A few months ago, we stayed with my in-laws in my husband's childhood home while looking for a new house. Florissant is a city within the greater St. Louis area. As the months passed by, I became very familiar with the fantastic dessert scene.
There are some great dessert spots tucked away in different shopping areas around the Florissant/Hazelwood areas.
#nosaddesserts encourages me to engage my local community, and it's always a treat to find a new sweet shop. Read on as I share my dessert journey around this beloved city.
First up is La Patisserie.
You can find this bakery in the shopping center located at New Halls Ferry and Lindbergh. The French patisserie is a beautiful store. No matter the time of year, when I walk through the front door, it feels like I'm entering a sunny spring afternoon. The ownership and staff there were welcoming and kind; it's always a pleasure to meet joyous people. I could probably write an entire blog about all the goodies in this shop, from freshly made pastries to hand-crafted chocolate treats. I highly recommend visiting and bring your appetite. BIG THANK YOU to Kit for being so gracious. She is co-owner and head chef at the bakery. I'm glad I had the opportunity to meet her.
Another sweet shop to visit is Natalie's | Cakes & More.
Natalie has been supplying St. Louis with delicious cakes for years. I was so excited that their new store is located near my in-laws. Like La Patisserie, Natalie's is tucked in the middle of a shopping center situated on Howdershell Rd, right south of Charbonier Rd. This shop opened its Florissant location less than a year ago. Visit this shop to pick you up full-size or personal slices of cake, and there are many flavors to choose from, including their signature caramel cake. I picked up a piece of their lemon cake. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors when done right. And Natalie's does it oh so right! I will certainly be back to sample the other cake flavors in the future. And to make it sweeter, the prepackaged slices come with two pieces! Double sweet, double fun. I shared my second slice with Justin.
The next place on my tour is a personal favorite, Tony's Donuts!
The donut shop is located in the neighboring city of Hazelwood, Mo. Whether it be an early morning breakfast or late night 4th meal, this donut shoppe keeps their donut options stocked and is ready to satisfy your sweet tooth. I've sampled many donut flavors over the years, but my top 2 favorite options are cinnamon twist and caramel long-john. Tony's Donuts has literally never let me down, and I feel confident that your favorite flavor can be found on the glassed-encased shelves at Tony's Donut's.
Lastly, please let me share about Made. by Lia.
This dessert shop calls Old Town Florissant home. Don't walk, run and try their morning pastries. The fruit hand pies are delightful, and I look forward to tasting the seasonal sections. So far, I've had the apple and the cherry. I'm not a cherry dessert type-of-lady, but these pies are lovely. The tart cherries with the sugar-sweet, frosted topping. "Yes, yes, yes, I will have another serving, thank you." I suspect the team at this quaint bakery has more winners in their recipe box.
And to finish up the tour, I cannot, not mention, my in-laws' local favorites: Old Town Donuts and Helfer's. Old Town Donuts has lots of flavors to choose from, and every family member's birthday cake comes from Helfer's; it's a Woods family fav. 2020 was a challenging year for all of us. I appreciated how all of these stores adjusted to the social distancing guidelines, and I hope that their doors remain open for years to come. I imagine that most cities, towns, neighborhoods have quaint little jewels tucked away, and I hope you love searching new eateries and exploring your local communities also.
Florissant will always be a winner in my book.
