Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats will hold a grand opening Saturday of its location across from the Takoma Park Metro station, complete with cake and ribbon cuttings and free chocolate chip cookies for the first 100 customers, according to owner Doron Petersan.
Petersan, a two-time Cupcake Wars winner, held a soft opening in January for her new bakery at 314 Carroll St. NW in Washington, D.C. The vegan Sweets & Eats caters to a variety of dietary needs and has a kosher kitchen. Petersan’s bakery business also operates a kiosk at the Streets Market at 51 M St. NE in the District.
“I’m really excited to be a part of the Takoma community,” Petersan said.
The grand opening celebration will begin at 10 a.m., according to an email release. Local drag queen Tara Hoot kick off the event and the bakery will distribute product samples and prizes throughout the day.
At the bakery, customers can choose from a variety of treats, including cookies, brownies, pastries, seasonal and classic cupcakes, and custom cakes. Baking mixes also will be available for purchase. The bakery business also sells its treats and baking mixes online at StickyFingersBakery.com, and offers catering and custom cakes locally.
Petersan said she first became interested in baking when she took a food science course focused on cakes at the University of Maryland, where she got a degree in dietetics in 2002.
“I realized that it was really about the science behind it, not just the ingredients per se, and that really got me interested in baking,” Petersan said.
She said she wanted to open a plant-based bakery because she is a vegan and wants to promote environmentally friendly and plant-based diets.
“We opened our first location in a tiny little basement in Dupont Circle. The idea came about 1999, and then the very first bakery opened its doors in 2002,” Petersan said. “There was really nothing like it at the time.”
Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats took over the space previously occupied by Soupergirl, a take-out spot for vegan and kosher soup, and will continue to carry Soupergirl soups in its grab-and-go section, according to the release.
Petersan said she was thrilled when the location became available because it was a perfect fit: a manufacturing facility with space for a store. The facility will also be available to other companies to use for packing and labeling, according to the release.
“It was like the magical unicorn appeared. It’s a great place for us to take our manufacturing business really to the next level,” Petersan said. “And then we’re also able to have a retail space there so that we can sell cakes, cupcakes and cookies and be available to the local community. Being able to have those two things together in the same space is seriously magic.”
Petersan’s baked goods and mixes also are available in more than 100 retailers around the country, including Whole Foods Markets, MOM’s Organic Markets and Yes! Organic Markets, according to the release.
“When we made the switch during the pandemic, it became evident that the growth that was possible through wholesale and packaged goods was much more in line with our mission and really lends itself better to the overall business for longevity,” Petersan said.
Sticky Fingers Sweets & Eats will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.