MOUTHWATERING TREATS

MOUTHWATERING

VEGAN CAFE THE WATER BAR GENERATES A BUZZ, PREPARES TO LAUNCH SECOND LOCATION IN TRI-CITIES

By Melissa Rubalcaba Riske | Photos provided by Ron Anderson

When Anna Anderson developed food allergies and intolerances about five years ago, it forced her to change what, how and where she could eat. So she and her husband, Ron, set out to try new recipes, getting creative when it came to designing meals and experimenting to see what would work. Those trials, failures and successes were all part of what would become the newest popular destination in St. Charles: The Water Bar. “We are doing a lot of things that are different,” explains Ron Anderson. The Water Bar offers vegan, gluten-free desserts as well as smoothies, juices, coffees and teas. The couple makes all bakery items in-house and uses their own label, Sweet Jubilee. Anderson admits there were plenty of recipes that didn’t work, or took time to develop. “We’ve had to figure out a lot,” he says. The couple is excited to provide delicious menu options to those who, like Anna, have food sensitivities, as well as catering to those seeking healthy options. Anderson, who is also the owner of Finetix Fitness, calls himself an entrepreneur who saw an opportunity to share their recipes for bakery treats, salads and more. “If I see a problem I think, ‘How can we fix this?’” Anderson says. “I’m constantly thinking there has to be a better way and we’re going to find it.” Since opening in May, The Water Bar has generated a steady following. The marketing staff at the St. Charles Park District love walking over to grab refreshing drinks, from frozen lemonades to coffee and teas. Erika Young, public relations and marketing manager, says the bakery treats are a must. “Every dessert is absolutely delicious, and I don’t feel

 THE WATER BAR 201 S. Third St., St. Charles 815-293-7720 www.thewaterbar.biz

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like you’re compromising anything. There’s this oatmeal cookie, a brownie and the lemon cake — they are all so good,” Young says. She adds that recently she had an evening appointment; instead of making a run to a fast-food restaurant, she walked over and tried the Swedish meatballs with a small side salad. Just like that, she’d discovered another menu option she loved. The couple had a prior cafe endeavor, Rejoice, which opened in January 2020 but opted to close after the interruption of pandemic stay-at-home orders. But the couple wasn’t ready to close the door on their dream. They took time to make some changes, and in May opened The Water Bar at 201 S. Third St. in St. Charles. The second location, slated at press time to open soon, will be at 315 W. State St. in downtown Geneva. Anderson is excited for the launch of the business’ “Eatertainment,” building calendars for events such as healthy cooking classes, music, karaoke, game nights and more. The vision is to have the cafe open for those morning drinks, lunchtime meals and into the evening to be a place to meet up with friends for a pre-dinner snack or evening activity. “We want to make it a fun place,” Anderson says. The Water Bar’s social media presence has become one of its biggest ways to reach new customers. That includes drawing in visitors who want to see the coffee flights. Customers can order a coffee, tea or juice flight in thousands of combinations, from simple drip coffee with coconut milk to whipped drinks. There’s even an affogato coffee, which is coffee poured over vegan ice cream. “That was my idea,” notes Anderson of the flights. “I was looking for something that was out of the box. It’s definitely more of an experience.”