We can’t believe that it has been 8 years since we first opened our doors at 122o W Webster. To mark the occasion we are having a pizza party with the help of Rachel Post, Floriole’s first employee and owner of Chicago’s best roving pizza business, Our House Pizza. If you remember the pizzetta we served from the pastry case or the pizza nights we used to host on Friday nights, then you have experienced some of Rachel’s handiwork. She will be making a red pie garnished with Underground Meats salami and a white pie with ramps and potatoes. Pizzetta will be available from 11am until they sell out on Tuesday April 24th.
What’s a party without cake?
Of course there will be birthday cake! We will have celebratory slices of birthday cake staring early in the morning on Tuesday, April 24th. We won’t judge if you opt for a birthday cake breakfast with your coffee. Come by to celebrate with us.
Opening Day
It truly feels like spring when the outdoor Green City Market opens for the season. Opening day is Saturday, May 5th form 7am – 1pm and the market will take place Wednesdays and Saturdays for the rest of the season. We can’t wait to see our favorite farmers and producers and get our hands on the best produce the region has to offer!
On Monday April 30th, Sandra will be cooking on NBC 5 during the 11am news to promote the Green City Market. Here is the recipe:
Roasted asparagus with salsa verde, whipped goat cheese and toasted sourdough
1 pound asparagus
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Wash and dry the asparagus. Snap off the fibrous ends and discard. Slice the spears into 2” pieces. Toss together with olive oil salt and pepper. Spread onto a parchment lined sheet on and roast in oven preheated to 450F for 15 minutes or until lightly charred. Set aside.
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cream
Stir together until homogenous. Season with salt and pepper.
Small bunch of parsley, washed, leaves plucked from stems
8 mint leaves
Zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon capers
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients in blender and blend. Season with salt and pepper.
Toasted sourdough bread
To assemble:
Smear goat cheese in plate
Top with asparagus
Drizzle with salsa verde
Serve with sourdough
Fête du Pain 2018
This event takes place far from Floriole but we are proud and excited that Sandra is joining a team of 24 bakers to represent the USA at the Fête du Pain in Paris. The team of bakers will bake with hundreds of other bakers in a 1,200 square-meter tent in front of Notre-Dame de Paris. More information here and check out our Instagram feed to see what happens behind the scenes.
It seems a little optimistic to say, but spring will be here before we know it! While we dream of rhubarb and strawberries, we are filling the case with tropical treats like the passion fruit tart and bright pink lemon hibiscus bars. Watch for new salads and menu additions as the savory team gets their hands on early spring spinach and asparagus.
In April Floriole will celebrate our 8th birthday at 1220 W Webster! Stay tuned for more information about fun festivities to mark the occasion.
Passover Menu
Be sure to place an order for your holiday table. Although we are not a kosher bakery, we have a nice selection of items made without wheat flour. Click here to place an order.
Easter Menu
We have your Ester holiday needs covered from breads and quiche to sweet endings. Place your order here.
The BAD has returned, well sorta and there are other new and exciting menu choices. Please give Chef Hunter a high five. He has done a great job updating the menu.
Love (and chocolate) is in the air.
The bread team has created the most stunning and delectable babka filled with chocolate and raspberry. It will only be around until Valentine’s Day.
Everything has turned chocolate on the pastry side of the kitchen. We have chocolate canelé, chocolate kouign amann, chocolate dipped heart tarts . . . Other menu additions include heart linzer cookies and blood orange posset.
We are open on President’s Day and we would love to see you. Looking forward to longer days and the arrival of March.
Join us to celebrate the amazing work that Growing Power does to help bring more real food to Chicago’s south and west sides. This summer alone they will employee 200 teens and 150 head-start preschoolers at city farms. Come enjoy delicious food, a drink or two, and help Growing Power to grow delicious and nutritious vegetables while supporting over 350 youth this summer with art, cooking, food and fitness, as well as environmental education!
Food and desserts provided by:
Floriole
Our House Pizza
*more to be announced
$10 donation upon entry includes 1 drink ticket. Additional drink tickets available for $5
Growing Power is a national nonprofit organization and land trust supporting people from diverse backgrounds, and the environments in which they live, by helping to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities.
We love this time of year because each week brings something new and exciting from the farmers market which means there are constantly new seasonal items appearing up in our cases. Additionally, you may have noticed a few exciting changes on the breakfast and lunch menus recently. For breakfast try our new lightened up egg white frittata or go all-in with the egg sandwich – a winning combo of cheddar spread, bacon and pickled onions on a fluffy brioche roll. Our beloved ricotta toast is now topped with a bright heap of strawberries and finished with a drizzle of lavender honey! Bon Appétit!
Crepe Dinner, June 11
Put on your beret and join us for a fun crêpe dinner at Floriole on June 11.
Menu:
asparagus and fava bean salad
buckwheat crêpe filled with smoked gouda and spinach, topped with a farm egg and crisp lardons
sweet crêpe filled with roasted strawberry rhubarb jam and topped with buttermilk sherbet
*hard cider, beer, wine and other beverages are available for purchase
Join us all weekend to celebrate Bastille Day. We will be tasting fine French wines, cheeses and chocolates, running happy hour specials, and hosting kids crafting events up at the farm table.
Friday, July 14, 3-5pm- French wine tasting
Saturday, July 15, 3-5pm – Cheese tasting
Sunday, July 16, 3-5pm- Chocolate tastings (enjoy a complimentary chocolate with each cup of coffee that day)
We will continue the celebration all month long with our July Specials
More events
There are many other events at the cafe and in the community coming up this summer so mark your calendars!
June 10: Watercolor floral wreath crafting with Joslyn at Floriole. Tickets and info HERE
June 16: Crepe party fundraiser for LFC at Floriole. All ages are welcome! Tickets and info HERE
July 4: The cafe will be closed for Independence Day.
July 5-9: Taste of Chicago. More info to come on a schedule of Sandra’s Chef Demos!
July 20: Green City Market Chef BBQ – Tickets and info HERE
Seven years ago this month we quietly opened our doors and hoped for the best. After several years of carting around a tent, folding tables and all the baked goods we could stuff into our mini van to the Green City Market, we were thrilled to have walls and a roof over our heads. Our opening crew was comprised of less than 8 and today there are close to 35 Floriole team members! I don’t have many clear memories of that first day, sadly it’s a bit of a fog. I know that it was so exciting and exhilarating; a dream come true.
Thank you to all the people who have supported Floriole from our days at the farmers’ markets and at the shop. Through the years, your kind words of encouragement and constructive criticism has kept us going and shaped what we have become. We are forever grateful to the hardworking and talented individuals who bake, clean, manage and provide great customer service. It takes a team to keep this place running and we couldn’t ask for a better group to get the job done.
On Friday April 21st, please join us as we celebrate our seventh year at 1220 W Webster Avenue. There will be cake!
Easter and Passover
We are here to help with your celebration needs. Pickup April 10th and 11th for Passover and April 15th and 16th for Easter. Orders require 48 hours notice and will be taken online and in the cafe.
Art by Cynthia Winter
Cynthia Winter is a Chicago architect. She is inspired by the vast urban landscape yet delights in capturing the color and detail of interior still life. The magic brew of pigment and water allows her to create abstractions of the world she sees. She travels with a pocket size watercolor color kit instead of a camera. In Chicago, she cruises the lakefront via bicycle, capturing water and waves, the autumn symphony of color, the emerging green in the spring and the winter icescape from her skyscraper studio. In the west, she grabs the sun sky mountain desert and sketches from the passenger seat of her convertible as the landscape slowly passes.
Stop in and check out her work displayed at the bakery. All pieces are available for purchase.
As we get closer to spring, the menus are lightening up, new items are arriving and our kitchen is once again open until 5:30pm. On the savory side, we have a new turkey club, a hot dish of duck confit and sweet potatoes that we call the Duck HP, and new seasonal salads. The bread team has resurrected Boston brown bread and hot cross buns will appear later in the month. Pastry is turning out cream cheese danishes, goat cheese and cherry galettes and working on a new cookie. Stay tuned for special items for Passover and Easter.
Crêpe Dinner March 19th
The first crepe dinner was a success and we are looking forward to another this month.
The March crêpes dinner menu will feature:
buckwheat galette with crab and shallots in mornay sauce, mixed greens with meyer lemon vinaigrette
“suzette” rolled sweet crepe filled with yuzu and tangerine butter, citrus salad and burnt orange caramel
cider:
a selection of French cidre brut from Normandie and locally produced ciders
Tickets for the dinner on March 19, 2017 are available for $30 per guest. Reserve seating by calling Floriole at (773) 883-1313 or here.
Pi Day
We are looking forward to celebrating 3.14159265359 – every baker’s favorite number. To mark the day we will have individual “Pi”neapple upside-down cake for $3.14. You don’t need an excuse to enjoy this cake but this sure is a good one.
New Art Installation
Cynthia Winter is a Chicago architect. She is inspired by the vast urban landscape yet delights in capturing the color and detail of interior still life. The magic brew of pigment and water allows her to create abstractions of the world she sees. She travels with a pocket size watercolor color kit instead of a camera. In Chicago, she cruises the lakefront via bicycle, capturing water and waves, the autumn symphony of color, the emerging green in the spring and the winter icescape from her skyscraper studio. In the west, she grabs the sun sky mountain desert and sketches from the passenger seat of her convertible as the landscape slowly passes.
Bakers love Valentine’s Day because we get to be a little cheesy and make cute conversation heart cookies, fancy heart pastries and lots of chocolate items. Our Valentine’s inspired line up is on point this year with a beautiful heart shaped orange flower and lemon mousse topped with blood orange compote and dipped in chocolate. As is our tradition, we will have chocolate canelé starting this weekend. They will be around for about two weeks . . . so get them while you can!
Upcoming Events
Best Baguette Chicago
Taste baguettes and breads from Chicago’s top bakeries and help decide who makes the best baguette in town!
On February 16th at SOFITEL Chicago Magnificent Mile, the finalists will compete for bragging rights in front of a jury of professional chefs and celebrities.
You will be able to follow the jury’s deliberations as well as tasting all the baguettes and breads yourself and talking to the bakers. All bakers will display their baguettes and other breads for the public to sample before the audience chooses their favorite.
Join us to discuss how farmers and chefs are reviving heirloom grains & heritage meats as a means of restoring the flavor and nutritional value of our food, while also improving soil quality and biodiversity.
buckwheat galette filled with crab in mornay sauce
“suzette” rolled sweet crepe filled with yuzu and tangerine butter, citrus salad and orange caramel
and cider, bien sûr!
Flowers!
Last year I signed up for a flower CSA with Avium Flowers and the bouquets were the highlight of my week. I’m looking forward to subscribing again this year and Floriole will be a pickup location! Subscribe here.
Avium is Chicago’s flower farm; committed to operating fully within the city limits of Chicago. We are focused on growing blooms and foliage, including native perennials and herbs, and using sustainable growing methods.
The holiday menu is up and we are taking orders. Please place your order by December 21st for pick-up December 24th. Orders for other dates will require at least 48 hours notice.
Sunday Supper at Floriole December 18th
After visiting Paris earlier this year, Mathieu lamented that crêpes in chicago just aren’t the same as they are in France. The next month we were planning a crêpe dinner menu!
Crêpe Night – two courses + cider $25
Savory buckwheat galette filled with alpine style cheese, cider caramelized onions and ham
Sweet crêpe filled with quince butter, honey ice cream and toasted almonds
We are a collection site for Chicago Cares: Warm Up Chicago. Please consider bringing in new or gently used hats and gloves or for Chicagoans in need. It’s getting cold out there!
Here we are. It’s November! That means that Thanksgiving is around the corner and the holidays will be here before we know it. We are excited to release our Thanksgiving menu and hope you will order some sweets and bread from Floriole for your holiday spread. Without further ado, I present to you our 2016 Menu.
You are welcome to place your order at the bakery, over the phone or in our online store. We will begin accepting orders November 1st and all orders must be placed by November 18th at 5pm. Please help us by ordering early!
Friendsgiving!
We are really excited to have a Friendsgiving Sunday Supper at Floriole this year. Gather up your favorite buddies and celebrate the Sunday before Turkey day. We will be cooking up a three course traditional turkey dinner $30/person. Tickets here.
Sweet Sugar, Sultry Spice book event November 5th and collaboration
Stop by for a pomegranate milk chocolate scone, our November collaboration pastry. The recipe is from Malika Ameen’s baking book pictured below.
Join us for tea, sweets, special talk and book signing with chef / author Malika Ameen and her new baking book Sweet Sugar, Sultry Spice: Exotic Flavors to Wake up Your Baking with a collection of over 75 recipes to raise your desserts to a whole new level.
The book discussion will be moderated by Sandra Holl and Floriole Bakery will provide a selection of treats from the book with specially selected teas from Rare Tea Cellar. Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. Tickets here or at the bakery.
Le Coin de Mathieu
Dear readers,
Sandra. Stella and I are just back from 2 weeks of vacation. One week in France and one in Italy. Great times, great food.
There’s only one reason we were able to go on vacation: our awesome team.
If you own a small business, you know how worried you can get when leaving your baby. But when you are lucky like us, you are able to do that and enjoy your time off.
Of course, sh*t happens, and it did, it always does (even when we are around). So what matters is how it is handled. And it was handled wonderfully.
So, this coin is about recognizing the various individuals who contribute to our success by caring about the bakery.
Thank you to all of you!
James Beard Awards stay in Chicago!
That’s right! Chicago will continue to host the “Oscars of the food world”: The James Beard Awards, until 2021! The awards honor the “best of the best” in the industry from food writers and chefs to restauranteurs and bakers. In 2016, three Chicago chefs and restaurants received awards: Alinea, was named most outstanding restaurant in the country, Curtis Duffy, of Grace, was named best chef Great Lakes and Land and Sea Dept. won outstanding design for Cherry Circle Room.
Please consider supporting your favorite Chicago chefs and restaurants by nominating them here before December 1st!
