Sweet Deals Lie Just Down the Street on Bonita Avenue

The Dessert Shoppe on Bonita Ave. in San Dimas.

It’s amazing how life works. One day, you’re making houses and loans for a living, the next, you’re making cookies, cakes and other wonderful confections. Call them life’s sweet transitions.

When the economy flipped, Xenia and Sidney Train decided to leave their homebuilding and corporate banking jobs and pursue their baking passions full time. For years, Xenia had been making specialty cheesecakes for special occasions; now every day would be her special occasion to please customers.

So, last August, Xenia and Sidney, who graduated from Damien High School, opened The Dessert Shoppe at 133 E. Bonita in San Dimas, showcasing their culinary creations made fresh daily in their 2,300-square foot bakery and eatery.

Customers can, of course, order from a full lunch menu of delicious and healthy salads and sandwiches, but don’t dare leaving without dessert. After all, Xenia and Sidney, who have been making life sweeter for office workers, local residents, students and a growing walk-in trade, didn’t name their new enterprise, The Sandwich Shoppe.

While you can cart home cheesecakes in 9-inch rounds, you can also take home miniature cupcake versions of the same delicious treat. That way, there doesn’t have to be any guilt or glut associated with eating and enjoying the finer things in life.

“The cheesecake cupcakes come in single serving sizes,” Xenia said. “They’re pretty rich, so you could even split one.”

In that case, bring on the red velvet, carrot and chocolate mousse cupcakes as well, please.

For diabetics, The Dessert Shoppe also offers cookies made with the sugar substitute, Splenda.

With an endless procession of holidays rolling around (Mother’s Day is just around the corner), no one in the community ever has to be caught empty handed again when visiting friends or family. At less than what it would cost you go to out and buy all the ingredients, you can surprise mom with both amazing quality and variety. You save time and money, and mom thinks you’re her little genius.

All aboard: Dessert lovers enjoy all the daily delicious treats made by Xenia and Sydney Train.

Summer brides should know that The Dessert Shop is also wedding cake central. So far, there’s no wedding cake too complex or complicated to outwit her. In her spare time, which is little these days, between taking orders and raising her two children, Jonah, 6, and Hannah, 4, she watches shows like the “Ace of Cakes” and the “Ultimate Cake Off.”

Little revelers can have their cakes and cookies, and eat them, too. She can host children’s parties at the Shoppe or cater them. One party favorite, a cake pop, is so popular that kids have reportedly been willing to trade their favorite Barbie or action hero for one.

For adults, The Dessert Shoppe is also expanding into gift baskets and gift tins, as well as a whole line of cookies called “explosions” because, well, the flavor, “explodes” in your mouth. The one I sampled came in explosive coconut and dark chocolate.

The Dessert Shoppe is also headquarters for local organizations, such as schools, churches and nonprofits,  looking for fundraising partners.

When you come to think about it, there is not much difference between banking and baking, just remove the “n” from banking, and what do you have? That’s right. We all should have seen this coming.

Banking’s loss has become a dessert lover’s gain. If you’re sweet on desserts, give The Dessert Shoppe a try. To make  your outing even more tempting, click on the COUPON button on LaVerneOnline’s homepage and download one of the Shoppe’s coupon values for extra savings.

Sweet deals like this don’t come around every day!