With spring comes a new season of celebrations—Easter, Passover, First Communion, graduation, and the “it’s finally warm let’s celebrate” parties.
Whenever I’m hosting or attending one of these events, I quickly volunteer to bring dessert. While I enjoy baking, I’d much rather buy a delicious treat at The Bent Fork Bakery in Highwood.
They know me by name at The Bent Fork. Not only because I cannot resist their famous “peanut buttah” cookies (weekly), but because Mike and Liz Bearwald (owners and operators) know their customers and make everyone who enters feel like it’s their personal bakery.
Everything from the intense brownies to the dunked chocolate chips to the berry crostatas are baked fresh daily. There’s something for everyone’s taste at this quaint, vacation town-like spot: whoopie pies for the young at heart, biscotti and scones for your morning coffee, sugar cookies decorated for the season, and my favorite of all time‚Äîtheir famous butter cream cupcakes.
Discovering The Bent Fork a few years back was like finding a one-stop-shop for any sweet tooth need. My children ask for The Bent Fork on their birthdays. When my daughter wanted “babycakes” (small cupcakes) with turquoise frosting and green and blue bikinis, Liz replied “no problem.” When my little man requested baseball cookies with the White Sox logo, again we heard‚ “no problem.” And right before a last-minute get together, I picked up some individual apple crostatas that were beyond “no problem”‚ they were a HUGE hit!
The sweets are delicious, and just as good, if not better than grandmas. I also truly enjoy supporting a local, family-owned business instead of a giant chain. The food is fresher, better, and the vibe is certainly welcoming.
In addition to daily temptations and birthday treats, The Bent Fork offers an extensive collection of gift baskets and holiday trays. One look at their Web site and you’ll have gift ideas in a heartbeat. They also sell small boutique-type gifts such as decorative paper goods, cake stands, dessert boxes, unique aprons, and hand painted martini and margarita glasses‚ among other novelties.
The only negative to The Bent Fork is that I have to exercise an extra day or two in order to burn the calories that I so enjoy ingesting. I’ll take the extra run any day to satisfy my screaming sweet tooth.
The Bent Fork is located at 333 Waukegan Road in Highwood. They can be reached at 847-926-GIFT.
