A new pastry shop will soon open on Central Street, joining Evanston’s arsenal of dessert stores.

Evanston resident Beth Welch, plans to open a European-style pastry shop in the space previously occupied by the R.C. Danon Gallery, 1814 Central St. The as-yet-unnamed shop will serve coffee, breakfast pastries, cupcakes, cakes and other treats with a European flair. Welch said she hopes the bakery will offer something different than what people usually find in the city.

“I want to fill a niche that is not currently being offered,” she said. “I’m not trying to compete with other bakeries like Tag’s. I just want the shop to be another option for desserts.”

Before deciding to open the bakery, Welch had her own catering company and taught classes at a Sur La Table location in Skokie.She received her bachelor’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and has worked at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago.

“I just decided that opening my own place, it was now or never,” Welch said. “The old tenant had mentioned the space to me, and it was just the perfect location.”

After announcing her plans to open shop, Welch said she received an overwhelming positive response from both friends and strangers. She said they could not wait for the shop to open and add a “little something” to the east side of Central Street.

“My sister was picking her kids up from school, and she was bombarded by other parents,” Welch said. “They kept asking her when it was going to open and telling her how excited they were for something new and different.”

Welch said she is looking forward to opening the shop and is excited to contribute to the community she grew up in. Welch attended Evanston Township High School and said she holds the city very close to her heart.

“There is nothing more I want to do than give back,” she said. “It is surreal opening on Central. I want to help with charities and schools, as well as offer different things for events such as graduation.”

The community is also looking forward to welcoming Welch’s bakery to Evanston. Ald. Jane Grover (7th) said the shop will be a good addition to the city.

“Beth’s shop will certainly add to Evanston’s reputation as a destination for foodies, as well as enhance our Central Street business district east of the Metra tracks,” Grover said in an email to The Daily.

As of now, the store is still in its beginning stages. Welch said she is currently finishing the floor plans and will submit information to the city soon. She said she is also conducting a lot of behind-the-scenes work.

“I’m doing a lot of recipe testing right now,” she said. “In a couple of months I’m going to do a survey and ask the locals what they would like to see in the store.”

Welch said she hopes the store will be open by the fall, in time for football season.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the location of the Four Seasons at which Welch worked. She worked at the Four Seasons in Chicago. The Daily regrets the error.

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