Coffee & Treats in New Orleans

In 1997, mother-and-daughter duo Ronda and Cherrie Myers searched Slidell in vain for a gift idea that was both eye-catching and delicious. They decided to take matters and some cookie dough into their own hands, launching Creative Cookies in the kitchen of Ronda's home. Word of their fresh, colorfully decorated cookies spread, and Ronda and her father eventually constructed a cookie shop on the side of her home. The business continued to grow and found a new home in a retail shopping center in 2002.

The Myers and their staff sweeten celebrations with treats such as cakes, cookie platters, or 12-, 16-, or 18-inch cookie cakes designed to be dunked in oaken barrels of milk. Kids and adults can also go to the shop and decorate cookies using the staff's design suggestions or their own inspirations.

The experienced bakers and pastry chefs of Crème de la Crème practice the sweetest form of kitchen alchemy, whirling fresh ingredients into a legion of cupcakes, cakes, and other baked goods. Complete with elegant decorations or popular children's characters, cakes layer delectable flavors for celebratory occasions including weddings, birthdays, or Tuesdays. A huge cast of cupcakes rotates into the bakery daily, with flavors ranging from lemon strawberry and éclair to chocolate chip and vanilla. Bakers also craft a variety of cannoli, cake pops, and cake shooters, which combine the delicacy of cake with the engineering innovation of a tube on a stick.

Armed with just a single, generations-old cookie recipe, Great American Cookies opened its first store in 1977, and the rest is history. Today, the franchise boasts locations in malls across the country and nabbed a coveted spot on Entrepreneur magazine’s 2012 list of Top 500 Franchises in the baked-goods category. The shop’s reputation grew, and so did its menu as chefs churned out a mouthwatering roster of gourmet-cookie recipes, each created and carefully tested in Atlanta. The tempting options now include snickerdoodle, peanut butter with M&M’s, and chewy pecan supreme, as well as freshly baked fudge and cheesecake brownies and cookie sandwiches stuffed with frosting. The real showstoppers, however, are the giant chocolate-chip cookie cakes, which can be customized with sweet, celebratory messages or shopping lists penned in colorful icing.

Local police officers Dennis Gibliant, Ronald Laporte, and Brandon Singleton spearhead Blue Dot Donuts, an emporium of decadent doughy confections that caught the attention of reporters from Fox 8 and WGNO. The cops hand-sculpt fried dough into a rotating selection of more than 50 types of donuts, twists, long johns, and bowties each day, including singular flavors such as maple with bacon, peanut butter and jelly, and cinnamon-sugar cake. A selection of chocolate and glazed donut holes serves as both quick snacks and makeshift foosball replacements, and signature donut ice-cream sandwiches embrace innards from New Orleans Ice Cream Company and a choice of toppings.

When faced with time off after graduating from LSU, Maggie DiMaggio took to baking cake after cake in her own kitchen. Seeing the potential in her baked treats, she soon began taking weekly pilgrimages to the Mandeville farmers' market to sell her cupcakes and fine breads. As the popularity of her creations grew, the special orders began pouring in—so many, in fact, that she had to open a storefront just to manage the demand.

That storefront soon evolved from its humble beginnings into The Chocolate Vine, a European-style bakery that also houses an intimate café. To foster a cozy, inviting atmosphere, Maggie furnishes the small eatery with tables and chairs from local antique stores and regularly applies a fresh coat of buttercream icing to the walls. When not crafting almond-, strawberry-, and chocolate-infused cakes , she cooks light lunches with fruits and vegetables from a local produce stand. Maggie also graciously opens up her wine cellar for regular tastings, during which guests sip on eight glasses of her finest reserves.

Two adages motivate naturopath and sports nutritionist Catherine Wilbert: “You are what you eat” and “If it tastes good, it’s not good for you.” The first is her philosophy, but the second is a stereotype she aims to shatter at The Nutrition Company, where she creates delicious, health-promoting drinks from fresh-squeezed juices and wholesome supplements such as wheatgrass. Smoothies come in more than 30 varieties, such as the tropically themed Rainforest Cherry and the citrusy mélange Spunky Monkey, each fortified with between 25 and 40 grams of protein. The shop’s 100% organic coffee can also be supplemented with mix-ins such as ginseng and acai berries, making it more energizing than a lightning bolt shot from the eyes of a drumming bunny. Stuffed with whole grains and healthy proteins such as free-range turkey, sandwiches and wraps stave off hunger while eschewing additives such as MSG and sulfites.