News
Letting your life unfold before you
A few months ago an alumnae from my high school asked me to speak at a wellness conference she was planning for women working at Cincinnati Bell. She asked me to come up with a theme illustrating an alternate way to live one’s life. I assumed it was because I am the opposite of corporate. My theme became “Letting your life unfold before you…. (hint….. it takes time)” After looking at thousands of pictures that illustrated my 36 year journey here at the BonBonerie, I smiled. It was obvious that all of us here have let the path unfurl before us like the yellow brick road.
I have watched us hire those who long to make pastries all their lives eventually turn to lawyering, nursing, financial consulting and even start their own bakeries. We all have to keep trying to find our way. Sometimes it takes a lifetime full of petite failures.
Pat Ryan is my business partner’s cousin. He has been a part of the BonBonerie for a long time and presently does sales for wholesale customers and delivers to those customers as well.
His passion for great beer began with a relationship with Blank Slate Brewery a few years ago where they created a BonBonerie Opera Cream Stout. It was very well received but unfortunately short lived as that brewery closed down and with it the original recipe. Undaunted, Pat pursued his quest to find someone to make this delicious beer reminiscent of our opera cream cake. After a lot of effort, he coordinated a relationship with Platform Beer out of Cleveland. Two Saturdays ago BonBonerie had a release party of their recipe for opera cream stout complete with live music, savory food and Just Q’In food truck in our parking lot attended by hundreds of people, many of whom had never been to the Bonbonerie before. It was amazing.
If you had told me that was going to happen even five years ago, I would have told you IMPOSSIBLE.
They are now selling opera cream stout at Jungle Jims, Target and Krogers. That is not how I saw the opera cream to be presented to BonBonerie customers, but I love it. As it is with the entire history of the bakery, it does take time for our path to unfurl, but when we are open it can be such a delightful surprise for everyone.
Sharon Butler
Co-Owner
