On Friday, February 24, the creative minds behind Ceres and Noodies officially opened their latest concept at 200 N. Court Ave., Dandelion Cafe & Bakery.
However, the new spot, which is within walking distance of Ceres and LaCo, isn’t serving up noodles. It’s a full-on bakery that’s now serving sweet treats and bread, sandwiches, salads, coffee, and espresso options.Â
How the new concept came to fruition
Owner Carolyn O’Connor and Ben Schneider (Ben’s mother is Jo Schneider of LaCo and the former Bentley’s House of Coffee and Tea) are a dream team in the local culinary scene. Jo spent more than 10 years running LaCo day before turning control over to her son and O’Connor during the pandemic.
Over the years, Jo had set up connections with the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson Museum through a Rio Nuevo grant to open up a new restaurant in the museum. After discussing multiple possibilities of what the space could be, O’Connor and her husband finally landed on turning it into a cafe and bakery.
Read our January 2023 article, “Ceres & Noodies owner has a new restaurant concept in the works.”
What’s on the menu?
As mentioned earlier, the menu is full of baked goods and sandwiches. For the rise and shiners, there’s a breakfast sandwich equipped with egg, bacon (or homemade sausage), and cheese that’s on a housemade English muffin.
Other handhelds include a housemade baguette with Parmigiano butter, prosciutto di parma, arugula, olive oil, balsamic reduction, dijon, sea salt, and cracked pepper.
There is both interior and patio seating, and the cafe will be open 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Tuesday – Friday and 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday – Sunday.
Dandelion Cafe & Bakery is located at 200 N. Court Ave. For more information, follow Dandelion Cafe & Bakery on Instagram.
Article written by:
Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
