Located in your friendly neighborhood Hampden, SweetSide Cafe combines classic Italian baking with trendy and delicious sweets like Unicorn Meringue. You can find anything from cannoli and sfogliatella to froyo and fruity pebble macaroons. Check them out on Facebook and Instagram, especially for their up and coming events!
From Real Estate to Passion on a Plate
The characteristic bright colors of SweetSide Cafe welcome customers from the Hamden street-side to the sunlit patio full of games.
Pamela VillaSanta started her career as a real estate agent in order to take care of her family. However, once her kids had made their way through college, Pamela was able to shift her focus to her real passion: delivering delicious treats to the masses.
Pamela began her dessert-filled career with a froyo shop in Ocean City. In 2012, she moved the machines up to Baltimore and opened SweetSide Cafe in June of 2016.
Initially, SweetSide Cafe specialized in froyo, custards, gelato, and some baking. However, the addition of head baker Katie lead to an exponential increase in sweet, sweet selections.
From Fine Dining to Fun Dining
Katie trained in Italy for five months in 2009, and boy does she know her stuff. Her raw talent was recognized early in her career and she received a full scholarship that resulted in her classical Italian training.
Top your froyo with color at the 🌈 Tower of Sprinkles
Most of the trainings revolved around fine dining techniques. However, after returning from Italy, Katie took the food she most enjoyed and decided to add her own unique flair. She has made fine dining fun dining, uniquely combining color, pop culture (e.g. unicorn everything), and classical baking techniques.
From Nutella Royale to Sfogliatella (it’s a thing, look it up), Katie’s creations are not only delicious, but gorgeous as well. You’ll certainly want to Instagram your food…if you haven’t already eaten it.
Oh, and did I mention the tower of sprinkles? Off to the side of the froyo stations lies the great tower of sprinkles. I had to resist the urge from grabbing a bowl and solely filling it up with all they had to offer.
The Good, the Sweet, and the Sweeter
Their sweet selection is nearly endless. Here’s the quick guide to the top picks before you go:
Rum Cake – A secret recipe developed by the founder’s friend from Jamaica, the cake uses exclusively original Jamaican Rum. The cake is packed with that rum flavor you want, and pairs deliciously with some froyo.
Cannoli – In the mood for an Italian classic? These delicate shells are filled with a velvety cannoli cream and leaves you wanting more and more. So make sure to try a cannolo or five.
Mini-Cakes – If you want to honestly tell someone you ate a whole cake, but don’t actually want to eat a whole cake, try these! Assembled by layering cake and frosting, these cakes come in fun varieties like funfetti and tiramisu!
Macaroons – Macaroons are always a great treat to quickly pop into your mouth. Available in a variety of flavors, these macaroons have a perfect, crumbly outer shell, with the chewy filling in between.SweetSide Events
SweetSide Cafe will also be hosting some awesome events for the community, such as movie and game nights. Pay close attention to their social media, as their kickoff event will involve a screening of Star Wars and a costume competition, in which the winner will get a “sweet” prize.
You’ll love the playroom style of SweetSide: from giant Connect Four and Jenga, to an old space invaders console, you’ll find yourself playing with toys of your childhood past.
Student Groups
Do you want to draw a crowd to your next event? Have you noticed how great food usually gets that done? Well, SweetSide Cafe offers top notch catering, so be sure to contact them for cupcakes, cannoli and other sweets for your next event. Students will start swarming, just like ants at a picnic.
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