Flourish Bakery Café

“Baked To A State of Yum” goes on all of Flourish’s marketing materials. Yum is an understatement.

At 1138 West Bryn Mawr Avenue, Chicago, this little bakery, right off the Red Line El stop at Bryn Mawr, boasts an entire line of remarkable baked goods – cakes, cupcakes, tarts, candies, quiche, croissants, cookies…all of which are wonderful …especially the bread pudding.

What fascinates me the most about this bakery is that it claims one of the best Master Bread Makers in the country - Ehsan Ganji. Bread making for Ehsan is personal. It’s a sacred, thoughtful process that brings him innate joy. Do you have that same feeling about your job?

My favorite?... this open heart cupcake which I gave to my tiny 2 year old friend Katie who happens to like sweets almost as much as I do.

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day and Bon Appetit!