Perfect Pastries Paired With Fresh-Roasted Coffee
It’s two great tastes coming together at Candid Coffee Co. and Anna Bakes, which opened in Wellington last year featuring coffee roasted on-site and made-from-scratch baked goods.
It’s a recipe for success with Candid Coffee Co. and Anna Bakes, which pairs a perfect blend of coffee with a pastry chef who specializes in elevated desserts. The two companies have joined forces in one location, bringing a new energy and sweetness to the Pointe at Wellington Green.
“Both our brands are so bright and colorful. It was all so very symbiotic immediately,” said Anna Ross, proprietor of Anna Bakes.
This must-try coffee shop and bakery specializes in on-site roasted coffee along with sweet and savory made-from-scratch baked goods and pastries — from the sweet and textured Birthday Batter Cupcakes oozing with filling, frosting and crunchy birthday crumb, to the savory Feta Pesto Danish, made with croissant dough, whipped feta cheese, pesto and grape tomatoes drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
These treats pair with an array of expertly crafted brews from Candid Coffee that include blends from Guatemala with notes of chocolate, almond and sugar cane, as well as one from Ethiopia with hints of milk chocolate, strawberry and merlot.
Coffee and bakery flavors rotate, while also keeping staples on the everyday menu, including traditional coffees.
Beans are roasted to perfection on-site, with the state-of-the-art Bellwether Coffee roasting system, which allows for customized, unique flavors by roasting beans to taste.
“We have an all-electric roaster for utmost quality and consistency,” said Candid Coffee co-owner Bryan Jenkins, who received his roasting certification in Seattle. “The whole goal is to roast on a small scale, so you can do a lot of fresh stuff quickly. It’s always fresh.”
“It’s a science and an art,” added co-owner Megan Jenkins.
A trendsetter herself, Megan began creating cold foam varieties four years ago, which have grown into 50 flavors that rotate, from funfetti to cookies-n-cream, hazy honey and malted vanilla.
“We switch them every month, and you can try a flight that includes all three of the featured drinks, as well as one of our staples,” Megan said. “I love experimenting with flavors.”
She began experimenting with ingredients, first creating a cocoa cinnamon variety. “If something’s good on a pastry, it’s probably good with coffee,” Megan said.
“Once roasted, you want to let it sit. It tastes the best between a week and two weeks after it was roasted,” Bryan explained. “My favorite coffee flavor is fruity and surprising. I like to drink them black because you get all the nuances.”
Ross said she has known since she was 15 that she would open a bakery. She was inspired by her mother. The family baked together every night, experimenting.
“I’ve always been Anna Bakes. My friends called me that in high school and college. My slogan is ‘Anna Bakes to make you happy,’ and I really feel like baked goods do that,” she said.
The Candid Coffee husband-and-wife team, Bryan and Megan Jenkins, started in Palm Beach County’s warehouse district. The Palm Beach Central High School sweethearts fell in love with the art of coffee during their travels after graduating from college. They began by roasting at their site, then remotely selling at green markets.
Meanwhile, Ross was baking from her parents’ kitchen in Lake Worth, but when they decided to sell their home, she had to find a new location. As fate had it, they found each other.
“We realized we were missing a huge ingredient, which was Anna,” Bryan explained. “We had coffee, but we needed a partner who would give us that other side. We wanted to feel like the love that went into the coffee would also go into the pastries.”
Ross, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, crafted her love of baking at the prestigious culinary university, and then took her studies abroad to France.
The fresh and welcoming coffee house-bakery is bright and open with hues of blue and muted pink, created by muralist Devin Noel. It’s also perfect for a coffee date for parents and little ones, who get their own child-sized lounge space.
“We have a kids’ latte. We foam the milk, put a little cinnamon on it, and serve it in a coffee cup, and they love that they can have a coffee date with their parents,” said Megan, adding that it is an ode to their three-year-old daughter, Riley.
Other fan favorites are the rich quiches by the slice, with scratch-made crust. Flavors include sweet potato and spinach, as well as the traditional Quiche Lorraine with ham, bacon, onion and Swiss cheese.
Scones are a savory staple, including the Everything Scone, stuffed with chunks of cream cheese and topped with “everything” seasoning. The Mama Ross Breakfast Burrito with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and tater tots, served with a side of homemade salsa, is a huge daily hit.
Special pastry rotations include the Baklava Twice Bake, drenched in honey orange syrup, pistachio and walnut phyllo crumble. The Lemon Raspberry Loaf is also popular with raspberry jam swirl and topped with lemon streusel.
There are always gluten-free and vegan options, as well as homemade granola.
The pastry and coffee creations are endless, made with a palpable passion, summed up by a bright yellow neon sign: “We go together like cake & coffee.”
Candid Coffee Co. and Anna Bakes is in the Pointe at Wellington Green at 10120 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 160. For more info., visit www.candidandannabakes.com or call (561) 766-1742.
