Valentine's Day 2024 is on Wednesday, Feb. 14 ... have you secured your sweet treats yet?
Bennison's Bakery
Located on the corner of Davis and Maple, Bennison’s Bakery has been serving up sweet treats and freshly baked goods to the Evanston community for decades.
“A good bakery is the most important part of any community,” Bennison’s owner Jory Downer said. “It’s the heart.”
Downer said the best thing about Bennison’s is tradition, and how the bakery has become a staple for many families in Evanston.
“We have families that come in every single year and order the same thing for the same holidays,” he said. “It’s nice to be a part of people’s family traditions like that.”
For Valentine’s Day, Bennison’s has baked up a variety of colorful cookies, cakes and cupcakes. A quick stop at this street corner bakery is sure to get you all of the festive treats needed for any Galentine’s or Valentine’s Day celebration.
For students that have never tried Bennison’s, Downer wants to highlight the bakery’s main claim to fame: the freshness of the baked goods right here in the local Evanston community.
“Everything we sell is made right here, a hundred feet from the register,” he said.
Cold Stone
Right on Sherman Avenue, Cold Stone’s Evanston location is the perfect sweet tooth fix for Northwestern students who love ice cream. General manager Mahlia Hampton describes it as an “ice cream experience.”
“It's something that you don't really get when you go to a regular ice cream shop,” she said. “You get your choice of flavors, pick your toppings and the staff mixes it up on the stone for you.”
For Valentine’s Day, Cold Stone has two new flavors: Fudge Truffle and Love For Hot Honey. I tried the Fudge Truffle with golden oreos and white chocolate chips, and enjoyed its rich, indulgent flavor. I suggest pairing it with another sweet and colorful flavor, as I did with their strawberry ice cream.
Hampton says Cold Stone encourages customers to mix and try as many flavors as they can.
Cold Stone also has a special heart-shaped, chocolate-coated cake for the holiday. Their Fudge Truffle Decadence cake features layers of moist red velvet cake, sweet cream ice cream with chocolate shavings and fudge truffle ice cream with chocolate shavings wrapped in rich fudge ganache. This cake serves up to 14 people and is under $50.
With special promotions for college students and late night hours, Cold Stone hopes to provide students with a quick and easy sweet-treat spot. Since Cold Stone is a member of the Wildcat Advantage Discounts program, Northwestern students can always get 10% off by showing a Wildcard at checkout.
Happy Valentine's Day!