For years, Beth’s Little Bake Shop produced French macarons, pastries and desserts out of an intimate storefront at 1814 Central St. Owners Beth Welch and Mikey Oris ultimately made the decision to close in 2023 for a variety of reasons, including the birth of their daughter Olive.

Welch and Oris weren’t sure they would ever run the business again. 

Yet, they’ve incrementally reimmersed themselves in the Evanston bakery scene. First, Oris took over donut making at DB3 Donuts through an existing partnership with owner Fred Gale. The couple also operated a microbakery out of their Evanston home.

Now, Welch, Oris and Gale, who also owns the popular Latin restaurant Comida on Central Street, have devised a new concept to give the newly renamed “Beth’s Bake Shop” a permanent home in Comida’s space.

Welch described the move as “emotional,” adding that several comments on social media about the store’s return “brought tears to (her) eyes.”

“It’s been great to get the response that we have been getting from all of our former customers and friends that we gathered over the years,” she said. 

The new storefront offers many Beth’s Bake Shop classics: a range of macarons, scones, apple fritters and monkey danishes.

While Comida’s space previously lay dormant during the daytime, Beth’s is now able to take advantage of the restaurant’s kitchen and offer service from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays.

Thus far, the store has received a positive reception from customers, including Medill first-year Anya Weerapana.   

“I work at a French bakery at home and I thought this stuff was really good,” Weerapana said.

In the three years since Beth’s originally closed shop, the Evanston bakery scene has exploded. More recent additions include Poplar Pastries on Central Street and Button Bakery on Main Street. 

The added competition does not worry Welch and Oris. On the contrary, they see Evanston’s bakery boom as part of the city’s character. 

“All these bakeries, they all do something great and they all have their own kind of personality,” Oris said. “Detroit has cars. Evanston has bakeries.”

While the new iteration of Beth’s Bake Shop may look different from its original Central Street storefront, Welch and Oris said the bakery’s core identity remains intact. 

Alongside longtime customer favorites like macarons and pastries, Oris said the expanded kitchen has allowed him to further develop the donuts he made during his partnership with DB3 Donuts. He has also experimented with new creations, including a “doughsant,” a hybrid pastry combining a croissant with a donut. 

As the business evolves within its shared space with Comida, Welch said their priorities have stayed the same.

“This is going to look different than how we were before,” Welch said. “But it’s going to be made the same way it was before — great ingredients and made with a lot of love.”

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