“I’ve always dreamed of having a bakery,” said Kate Hendrix. “I always baked, ever since I was a teenager.” Add to that a harmonious relationship in the kitchen with her daughter, Beth (who just happens to love coffee), and the idea for Sweet Katie Bee’s Cupcake and Coffee Bar was born.
Sweet Katie Bee’s, which opened on October 6 at 212 E. State St., in O’Fallon, Ill., offers a rotating selection of cupcake flavors. Yesterday’s treats included chocolate chip, apple-caramel, Italian crème and carrot, plus vanilla-bean cloud and Beth’s chocolate buttercream (The latter two are so tasty, they’ve been declared daily mainstays.). The Hendrix ladies periodically also offer mini quiches, called cup-quiches, and the shop has a full espresso bar for preparing your favorite coffee and espresso drinks.
While cupcakes and coffee are not new, the Hendrix duo sees its venture as distinct. That’s because they are committed to making their cupcakes from scratch using organic or sustainably raised dairy, dry goods and fruits. They use local ingredients whenever possible, like eggs from Fresh Pasture Farms in Millstadt, Ill., or organic, fair-trade coffee from Goshen Coffee Co., in Edwardsville, Ill.
“We got into organic and sustainably raised foods about six or eight years ago,” explained Kate Hendrix. “We started watching movies like Food, Inc., reading Michael Pollan’s The Ominvore’s Dilemma; thinking about what we’re doing, what we’re eating, what kind of pesticides are in our food. We’re trying to share that with other people.”
Sweet Katie Bee’s is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Can’t wait? Salivate over pics of Sweet Katie Bee’s cupcakes on its Facebook page.
This article appears in October 2012.