Just in time for the season of sweets, a new bakery has opened in St. Albans offering gorgeous cakes, cookies, pastries and more – including one dessert indulgence that’s pretty hard to find around these parts. Macarons!
In business for just over two months now, Montanaro Cakery at 224 Kanawha Terrace specializes in custom cake designs and can cater wedding or baby showers, gender reveal parties, birthdays, anniversaries and more.
Besides unique treats, the place also has a pretty unusual name. Montanaro is a word with both Italian and Latin roots that means “mountain dweller.”
I’m not sure what connection that name has to the business itself, but most probably won’t care once they walk inside the unassuming storefront and see a bakery case filled with brightly colored confections ranging from cakes, cake bars, biscotti, cookies and brownies to croissants, cinnamon rolls, cream-filled buns, dinner rolls and pepperoni rolls.
But the stars of the show for me are those luscious macarons. For those who are unfamiliar, these small French-inspired sandwich cookies consist of two small meringue-like discs made with egg whites, sugar and powered almonds with a creamy flavored filling in the middle.
Montanaro hand-makes their macarons to measure between 1.6 and 1.9 inches wide using no pre-made mixes, shells or fillings. Flavors include standards like strawberry, pistachio, lemon, orange creamsicle, butter pecan, oatmeal cookie and apple pie; special creations like buckeye, mint chocolate chip, bubblegum and PB&J; and seasonal offerings like pumpkin pie, candy cane, gingerbread and eggnog.
You can also get full-size macaron cakes that biggie-size these cookies with elaborate decorations and icing.
And all of the things are already earning rave reviews from Food Guy readers and Facebook fans.
“Their pepperoni rolls are the best in town," a reader named Christina wrote me, “and they have a rewards points program, too.”
Brooke Deviney added: “We had the best experience with Montanaro Cakery for a family baby shower. They took my inspiration pics and made them come to life! The macarons were stunning and delicious. Their customer service was 10/10.”
“Purchased the pink lemonade macarons and they were absolutely delicious! Ate all six within minutes and am planning to buy more,” wrote Haley Pauley.
And from Christine McKeel Boone: “The staff was wonderful, the place was clean and the macarons were some of the best I’ve ever had!”
Owned by “Cakery Guys” Greg Polsinelli and Jacob Shaffer, Montanaro Cakery seems to be destined for success.
IF YOU GO: Montanaro Cakery at 2424 Kanawha Terrace – Suite B in St. Albans is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. For more information, call 304-488-8297, visit www.wvcakery.com or check out the bakery’s Facebook page.
FeastivALL moves to new location at UC
Tickets are now on sale for Feb. 17’s FeastivALL beer-and-wine pairing dinner, which will move to a new location this year.
The annual fundraiser for FestivALL has taken place at Berry Hills Country Club for years, but organizers say they are excited about this year’s venue change because it will allow them to sell more tickets to make the event even bigger.
That new location is the University of Charleston, where guests will enjoy a five-course meal prepared by local chefs, with a special beer and wine selected to accompany each dish. After sampling both beverages, diners vote for their favorite food-and-drink pairing to determine which libation takes this year’s crown.
A live auction adds to the festivities by offering a chance to win a variety of goodies including art, jewelry, gift baskets, gift cards, trips and more.
Tickets are $130 each for regular admission or $175 for VIP status, which gets you early access to the event, early seating preference, live music, a photo booth, swag bag, a special drink and appetizer, plus valet parking.
You can purchase them online now at https://bit.ly/49Qnobo.
Proceeds from the event help support FestivALL’s year-round programming, including annual June and October events, the Neighborhood Arts Initiative and Three Things speaker series.
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Steven Keith is a food writer and restaurant critic known as “The Food Guy” who writes a weekly column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail and has appeared in several state, regional and national culinary publications. Follow him online at www.wvfoodguy.com or on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or at wvfoodguy@aol.com.