Angelic Desserts Bakery & Cafe soon will have more to love when the 6-year-old business in North Naples moves next door to a larger space with an expanded kitchen.
Marina Nikolic and Russ Underwood signed the lease Friday, Sept. 1, for their new digs. Although it’s a big move for Angelic Desserts, it’s only moving next door in Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt.
“We’re taking over Nawty Hogg’s space,” Underwood said. “We’re not going to expand; we’re going to take over their space.”
The last Southwest Florida location of Nawty Hogg Backyard BBQ permanently closed Aug. 17. Nawty Hogg owners Aric and Candice Tousignant are moving out of state.
“Thank you so much to all of you that have supported us over the years. It’s been a great ride and we have met so many great people. It is time for us to move on and slow down a bit,” reads a farewell note on Nawty Hogg’s Facebook page.
The local barbecue joint operated in the North Naples space since January 2021, and previously served its pulled pork, ribs and brisket for years at Celebration Park in East Naples, Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers and its restaurant location on Collier Boulevard.
The owners of Angelic Desserts are not sure when they will move their business to Nawty Hogg’s recently vacated space, which originally was Pei Wei Asian Diner from 2007 to 2020.
“It really depends on permitting,” Underwood said. “We’re moving some walls. We’re going to do some remodeling, so I could be done in two months, but it all depends on permitting and who knows?”
The original location will remain open until the new space is finished.
“The game plan is to keep the initial location open and then shut down for like two days, transfer everything over then open up again,” Underwood said. “So, we’re hoping that in a few months we should have a new location up and functioning, but with permitting and everything else, you never know how that’s going to roll.”
The totally retrofitted kitchen will be expanded to displace many of the 50 tables the previous restaurant had inside.
“We’re going to push the kitchen out quite a ways, but still be comfortable under air,” Underwood said. “We’re going to move some walls. The kitchen they have there is very small and, you know, that’s one of the biggest reasons we’re doing this anyway is to get more kitchen space, so we can produce for the hotels and restaurants that have been after us for years and years and years. So, we need to expand the kitchen pretty significantly.”
The kitchen expansion also will give Marina Nikolic, Angelic Desserts’ expert baker, the opportunity to create some more sweet treats and savory items, such as European sandwiches and soups reminiscent of her native Serbia.
“We’ll have a hood system now,” Underwood said. “She’s been talking about these European doughnuts that she had growing up forever and ever. So, it’s something that we’ve got the ability to produce now, so you’ll probably see some more stuff like that.”
Their new end unit also permits a corner space that has more visibility with a tower feature that enables signage on two sides. The southern side of the business facing Vanderbilt Beach Road will see some exterior renovations.
“We’re going to do some pergolas on the side with bougainvillea over the top and some misters and some fans and some string lights,” Underwood said. “When you’re walking through Paris and you sit down at a cafe, really that’s what we’re going with. That side of the building is going to be absolutely beautiful. It’s going to be nice.”
Inside, the idea is to replicate the warm, personal touch and ambiance of the bakery’s current space. The new location will have about 25 tables outside and probably about 15 inside.
“We’re going to have our beer and wine license, so we’ll do mimosas in the morning and maybe some red wine and cheesecake at nighttime,” Underwood said. “We’ll probably expand our menu a little bit. We’re not going to be a restaurant, but we’re definitely going to have a couple of more options—breakfast stuff, some lunch, and maybe some dinnerish kind of deals. But really the expansion is going to allow us to wholesale more. I’ve repeatedly had to turn away requests because we can’t produce enough to do any more resorts or hotels. So, really the expansion is going to allow us to serve the community a little bit better than we have been able to.”
The bakery provides desserts or baked goods for some local restaurants. “Right now, with production capability, we’re doing four,” he said. “We turn away three or four a month. We get people calling, ‘Please can you do this?’ We just can’t. If we can’t put out quality products in an expeditious manner, we best not do it. We just can’t.”
To make it happen, the business will hire more people, probably adding another 10 to the 15-member staff they employ. The name of the business, though, will not change.
Angelic Desserts Bakery & Cafe is named after Angela, the owners’ daughter who died of cystic fibrosis at the age of 17. Not only are angel wings part of the venue’s logo and decor, the sale of special heart-shaped “Angela’s Cookies” benefits and raises awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a national nonprofit organization established to find a cure for the genetic lung disorder.
The menu for the artisan bakery also includes scratch-made cakes, cupcakes, pastries, pies, tarts, sandwiches, quiche, soups, salads and many more sweet and savory items. Beverages include coffees, teas, lemonade and smoothies.
The couple had hoped to open a second location for Angelic Desserts by now in Lee County, but the pandemic delayed those plans.
“We’ll still do that,” Underwood said. “Once we get this kitchen up and going, probably next year we’ll look at putting in something up north. And, honestly, we’ve talked about opening up something small, maybe at the airport, something like that.”
Of course, they’re also still selling desserts at the farmers market on Saturdays at Shoppes at Vanderbilt, as well as many other farmers markets in the region.
“We do like six or seven a week,” he said. “Business is tough so you’ve got to make the money where you can.”
