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GRAND RAPIDS | KALAMAZOO | MUSKEGON | 4.30.23

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[LOOK INSIDE] Find something sweet with MI Best Local Eats

Michigan’s Best Local Eats:

Hamilton’s

Bliss

Bakery

serves gluten, sugar-free sweets, sandwiches

SKYLA JEWELL-HAMMIE | SJewell-Hammie@mlive.com

HAMILTON, MI

liss Bakery has been a unique spot to grab sweet and savory cravings without the worry of processed ingredients since opening in June 2021. Owner Krista Koets originally opened the business at her home in October 2019. The storefront is now located at 3506 Lincoln Rd. in Hamilton. Koets said the COVID-19 pandemic serendipitously built her business because everyone was looking for easy ways to order sweets while stuck at home. “I know a lot of restaurants, bakeries and other businesses suffered at this time,” she said. “I was just lucky because I didn’t have a storefront location yet with employees. So, I was able to keep working and do no-contact deliveries. And this was kind of perfect for us.” Koets said cooking and baking have been her whole life, beginning years ago in the kitchen with her grandmother, who also loved to cook. At first, she said she applied to a restaurant at 15 years old and wrote that she would also consider working as a cook. “I guess I never really looked back,” she said. “I got that job and

Photos | Bliss Bakery

it led to another job and another; all through my 30s working as a chef in restaurants.” Not long after working as a chef at different businesses, Koets said she found her passion when she decided to work at a Detroit bakery called Avalon International Breads. “That experience solidified for me that it was what I wanted to do with my life,” she said. “But a couple of years later, my husband and I got married and had kids. So, I was a stay-athome mom for a long time.” Koets said she revisited the thought of opening her bakery once her youngest child became older. Before long, she officially put up shop in the second kitchen in their basement. “I decided that’s what I was going to do at the time I was changing my diet to address some health concerns that I had,” she said. “I was eating a low-carb

diet and avoiding gluten and sugar.” Koets said she got to work after she realized there weren’t many reputable recipes available that had no sugar, grains or gluten, so she said she put her chemistry hat on and figured it out. “I spent several years figuring out these recipes and figuring out the best blends of alternative flours and sugars,” she said. “And frankly, I put a lot of it in the garbage, it was terrible.” Refusing to lose any faith, Koets said she kept pushing to find that perfect blend of ingredients and slowly began to understand some of the chemistry behind it. “I had some breakthrough moments and came up with a really good flour and sugar blend,” she said. “And it’s just been kind of uphill since then.” Customers looking to grab a bite in the Allegan County area can head to Bliss Bakery for some of their top sellers, like the BLT panini or the

Hawkeye club. Other items on the menu include dairy-free chocolate-based favorites like the chocolate peanut butter bar, an Aztec chocolate cookie and a chocolate raspberry cupcake. And that’s not all. For those looking for gluten-free personal pizzas, Bliss Bakery has them and more mouthwatering options like glutenfree loaves of bread, quiche, broccoli cheddar soup and focaccia. Koets said being able to offer a variety of alternative food options for people who may have Celiac Disease, Diabetes or other dietary restrictions is gratifying. “What I really want is for my customers to be able to feel safe and normal when they walk in,” she said. “The reason I keep doing it every day is for when parents bring in kids that are Celiac and Type One Diabetic, and their parents tell them they can have whatever they want. It makes me happy to see that. That’s my big motivation.” Customers can order from Bliss Bakery’s 65 menu items for pickup or delivery on their website.

Sweet ‘Berry Cheesecrêpe’ from

Crêpes Et Amis

HEATHER JORDAN | heather_jordan@mlive.com

MIDLAND, MI

here’s a crêperie in mid-Michigan offering sweet and savory crêpes and “a little bit of Paris” in downtown Midland. One of the most popular dishes at Crêpes Et Amis, located at 130 Townsend St. near the new Bookmarks bookstore, can be found on its sweet menu. The best-selling “Berry Cheesecrêpe” is a crêpe served with strawberries, Nutella and cheesecake filling. Another popular sweet offering is the “Violets” crêpe, which features blueberry

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compote, lemon cream and almond crumble. “Hands down, our biggest seller is the ‘Berry Cheesecrêpe,’” said Brandon Morey, owner of Crêpes Et Amis. But Morey’s personal favorite can be found on the savory menu. The “Edmond Dantes” is described as a crêpe with smoked ham, roasted turkey, melted Swiss, raspberry preserves and honey mustard. “It’s like a Monte Cristo sandwich,” he said. A savory customer favorite is “Wilbur’s Salutation,” a crêpe served with scrambled eggs, cheddar, bacon, Roma tomato and spinach and drizzled with house-made spicy mayo. INFO “Everything is made here,” Morey said. “We also make our own croissants.” For more Crêpes Et Amis started as a food truck information, visit serving crêpes at area farmers’ markets and www.crepesetamis. has had a permanent storefront since 2015. com or find Crêpes Et It is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday Amis on Facebook. through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday and offers online ordering.