Table Talk
Table Talk: October 12–18
This week: Amazing cake design, Secret Sandwich’s new Identity, Healthy and delicious Food and Sweet Breads for Fall flavors.
By Jorge Cespedes
Oct 12 2021 at 8 a.m.
Photo courtesy Charity Fent Cake DesignCharity Fent is the artists behind Charity Fent Cake Design.
Charity Fent Cake Design
My main focus for cake buying is always flavor and design, and I am just really liking what I see here. I happened to wander into this unique little place located inside the Brentwood Shopping Center, Charity Fent Cake Design. This adorable bakery space has walk-up display cases filled with ready-to-try cakes of all flavors and colors that’ll put a smile on your face. This dream bakery became a reality in May of this year, and it has been nothing but the sweetest ride since then.
Owner Charity Fent has been making these masterpieces for over 12 years, and you can tell her level of passion, creativity and focus from every single one of her cakes. Not only do they specialize in custom cakes, but you can walk in any day and pick up their cash-and-carry cakes in different sizes to feed from four to 20 people. As with everything else, fall flavors are in play in the cake world and here are some of the flavors you can find: pumpkin spice, apple cider and Butter pecan. Check out their website and give them a follow on Instagram for their latest news and flavor updates.
Secret Sandwich New Identity
I’m writing this piece while sitting here on my desk and having lunch. I got the Cordon Rouge sandwich from The Sandwich Scene; that’s the new name for the spot formerly known as Secret Sandwich Shop in downtown Springfield at 208 W. McDaniel St. An overload of juicy, mouthwatering flavors is giving my palate quite the experience. It’s a creation of sliced chicken, ham, pepper jack, house pickles, crispy onions, shredded lettuce and a hot chili crisp Dijonnaise. This was a recommendation from the owner and chief flavor creator Mack Musgrave. He tells me that the business is evolving, growing and overall feeling pretty good, so it was the right time to make this name change and update their brand. I’m always hooked by their food pics on the Instagram page, so be sure to give them a follow.
The Press, Healthy and Delicious
If you are looking for a fun and healthy breakfast or lunch option, look no more. The Press has your back with fresh, healthy, and delicious menu items. I spoke with owner Alice Oh over the phone and learned a lot about what’s going on in there. One of their most popular menu items are their Korean Street Tacos, which are made from scratch and happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, but you can add any protein of choice from a large array of options.
Also, try their Nourish Bowl, traditionally known as bibimbap, yet in this case made healthier by the addition of kale, quinoa and fresh avocados. I also learned about one of my favorite breakfast items, smoothie bowls. Their coffee shop was one of the first in town to introduce these healthy bowls and now they are expanding their menu options to, as Alice puts it “all the colors of the rainbow.” Located in the Brentwood Shopping center, this is a place to try for sure!
Neighbor’s Mill Fall Flavors
Don’t you just love how all of our favorite places around town are introducing all of these fall menu items? I know some of these flavors start to sound repetitive at times, but the cool thing is that each place has the capability to offer their creative and unique take on that flavor. The team at Neighbor’s Mill are updating their sweet breads offerings and here are some of the newest flavors: banana nut chocolate chip, apple cinnamon, pumpkin swirl and gingerbread. These sound delicious on their own, but I’ll share a little tip I like to lean on for hosting parties: I’ll order a couple of these sweet breads, slice them nice and thick and top them with homemade crème fraiche and a seasonal stove-top fruit preserve. I kid you not, it’s a crowd favorite every time!
