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Arcadia Weekly Apr 03, 2018
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New to Old Town Pasadena, Wheat Shop is a spacious bakery combining classic pastries with the conveniences of a modern coffee shop – Photo by Emily G. Peters / Beacon Media News
By Emily G. Peters
Space is a luxury in ever-growing Old Town Pasadena, where you’re fortunate to find an open chair at the more popular weekend spots. New bakery Wheat Shop is changing all that with plenty of room for your laptop, latte, and perhaps a couple of friends thrown in, too.
Founded in 2016, the Old Town Pasadena location is a new start-up run by the gifted pastry chefs of Le Cordon Bleu. Co-owned by Terry Zeng, one of three managing partners, the bakery offers a clever blend of French and Japanese-influenced delicacies with the conveniences of a modern coffee shop.
“The service style of the Wheat Shop is counter service where the guest will order from the counter and the items will be delivered to their table,” explained Zeng. “It’s a comfortable and exciting part of this location. We serve with smiles!”
Wheat Shop’s ambience is as light and airy as its classic croissant—a pastry often available to sample at the counter. Rows of neat white tables and covetable outlets are available for students and business-folk alike, along with communal tables and a window bar to accommodate plenty of passersby. Among its expansive baked goods menu are both savory and sweet items including a variety of croissants, sandwiches, shortbreads, cream puffs and more. Zeng has a few favorites of his own.
Among Wheat Shop’s most popular items is its matcha mirror mousse: a matcha biscuit topped with intense matcha cream covered by-you guessed it-a glossy matcha glaze. – Photo by Emily G. Peters / Beacon Media News
“The chocolate chip cookie, milk tea and green tea tiramisu are some of our signature items that everyone must try,” he said. And for the true matcha enthusiast? “Try our matcha mirror mousse cake.”
Everything is baked fresh first thing in the morning, and special orders for custom cakes are available, too. Milk teas and gourmet coffees balance out the sweetness of the pastries, while the truly adventurous can go wild with customizable slushies and smoothies with matcha whipped cream. The flavors are solid, the service friendly and the location convenient—ticking all the boxes for a potential new Pasadena hotspot.
While Zeng and his partners hope to see Wheat Shops spring up all over Los Angeles, the Pasadena location is special—particularly as part of the city’s impressive culinary past.
“Old Town Pasadena is a historic city—and a significant artistic center,” said Zeng. “As a modern bakery with fine art decoration and pastry products, Wheat Shop is a perfect fit for Pasadena.”
Wheat Shop is located at 39 N. Raymond Ave. in Old Town Pasadena. To help spread the word about the bakery, Wheat Shop is currently offering a $5 gift card to anyone who posts about their Wheat Shop experience on Instagram. Contact the cafe at www.wheatshops.com | 626.808-4444 | info@wheatshops.com and follow along on Facebook and Instagram @WheatShop and Twitter @ShopWheat.
