Spoonfest will mark Bloom & Brew’s one-year anniversary. After nine years as a restaurant manager, Allison Stubbs decided to start something new: the Bloom & Brew coffee cart, launched last May. As the name implies, customers can purchase bouquets in addition to popular items like her strawberry pistachio matcha latte, brown sugar shaken espresso and honey lavender latte.
“When I was working at the restaurant, my favorite thing to do on my off time, when I did have some, was to go visit coffee shops,” said Stubbs. “It’s such a passion of mine.”
Stubbs took inspiration from her favorite coffee shop finds and inventive flavor pairings on Instagram to curate her menu. All her coffee drinks are made with Metropolis Coffee Company beans, which she chose for their ethical sourcing and pesticide-free practices.
“Even when it doesn’t say organic, that’s because they just don’t want to pay for the licensing of it all; it’s still not sprayed with anything bad,” she said. “That was a big thing for me when trying to decide what company I really wanted to go with and partner with.”
Stubbs extends this ethos to all her ingredients. Her flavoring syrups are also organic.
She first brought her vision for clean and natural coffee to the Winnetka and Ravinia farmers’ markets. Now, she also does pop events — like with Reach Yoga Studio and Matchmaker Bookstop — and event catering.
In building her business, she’s leveraged her hospitality experience. Managing over 100 people and the daily work of a restaurant not only taught her organizational skills to finance her cart but also to connect with her customers.
“I also think just being able to talk to people, making them feel like they’re being heard… I feel like that’s what I brought to the coffee cart.”
Her goal is to provide not only a premium product, but a premium experience.
Starting in May through October, she will be at the Winnetka Farmers Market on Saturdays and the Ravina Farmers Market on Wednesdays.
“We are more hospitality driven, but my focus is mainly on premium ingredients,” Stubbs said. “They can know they’re getting a good quality product for the price.”