Life is Sweet, a new bakery at Ohio University, will be opening on the first floor of Baker University Center this upcoming November. The bakery will be adjacent to West 82 and will serve a variety of pastries.
The bakery—which cost OU $375,000—will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays. It will serve bakery items individually, by half dozen and by the dozen.
Life is Sweet will sell items such as cake, croissants, pretzels, cookies, muffins, donuts, bagels and breads. Prices will range from $1.75 for a single item to $32 for a dozen, and mobile ordering through the Ohio Eats App will be available.
The bakery will accept payments in the form of Flex Points, Bobcat Cash and credit.
Frank Pazzanese, the executive director for Culinary Services, said the idea for a bakery came from the culinary services’ student leader team because of the demand for culinary’s baked goods.
“Providing our community with fresh and locally-made baked goods was our priority and will be accomplished with Life is Sweet,” Pazzanese wrote in an email.
Krystle Lupardus, the general manager for West 82 and Latitude 39, said the bakery is something Culinary Services’ student employees had been asking for.
“They wanted us to open earlier and have something like a hot croissant and muffins and some of the items that we already serve and expand that so they (students) can get it before they go to class,” Lupardus said. “I'm really, really excited for it to open. The students are really excited about it, and I think it'll be a good option for not only our students, but for faculty and staff as well.”
The bakery will have 12 additional student-employee positions this upcoming year. Lupardus said current student employees at West 82 will have the option to work at Life is Sweet.
“It's really part of West 82, it's kind of a new concept,” Lupardus said.
Lupardus said training will span anywhere from three days to a week and will consist of employees getting new uniforms and learning how to cook and package the food.
Baker already has numerous culinary service locations such as West 82, Latitude 39 and Front Room Coffee House, and employees think Life is Sweet will hopefully help with the rushes they see throughout the day.
“I definitely think people will still buy some bakery (at Front Room) because of the convenience of getting your coffee and then getting a cookie at the same time,” said Sydney Sears, the location coordinator for Front Room Coffee House. “I think it'll slow a little bit, and I'm also hoping that there's a little more variety because we sell the same five cookies and the same four muffins.”
Before the opening, OU has to complete construction and conduct a final walkthrough.
“I had a flex meal plan my freshman year, which I didn't really get to use very many places except for West 82 and the food truck,” Sears said. “I think it will be a nice addition to add some variety to what people can spend their meal plans on.”
Addie Hedges contributed to this report.
