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Good Ambler, the bakery, chocolatier and cafe from the company behind Oreo, Toblerone, and Tang, isn’t waiting any longer to introduce itself to the public. Chicagoans can order from a thoughtful selection of sweet and savory pastries, baked goods, and DIY cookie and tart kits for delivery and pickup. A collaboration with Chicago hospitality group 16” on Center (Dusek’s, Revival Food Hall, Empty Bottle), the cafe itself will open in the ground-floor Fulton Market headquarters of Mondelez International after Illinois’s stay-at-home order is lifted.
For executive pastry chef Kevin McCormick (Per Se, Frasca Food and Wine), the delivery and DIY kit pivot is an opportunity to pursue his primary mission: spreading happiness. “I think that when you are in the hospitality and food industry, it’s kind of our innate goal to make people happy — that’s what we do,” he says. “I personally think that we have something really delicious and we can get it into the hands of people in a tough time. We can make people happy and get them excited about something.”
Good Ambler’s online menu, available through Caviar/DoorDash, highlights McCormick’s affinity for laminated dough. Options include croissants (classic; chocolate; ham and cheese) and kougin amann, as well as coffee cake, gluten-free coconut ginger cake, and a rotating muffin of the week. There are also two types of DIY kits — lemon meringue pie tarts (4 tart shells, lemon curd, crispy almond meringues) and “Sunny Days Ahead” cookies (three sun cookies; two butterfly cookies; three piping bags filled with green, black, and orange icing).
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McCormick hopes that the kits will help nervous home bakers feel more confident in their abilities, and that they inspire families to spend time together away from the television or computer. “I still remember cooking with my family, with my grandma,” he says. “I think doing a kit like this, even in a tough time, can still bring a happy memory.”
When Good Ambler’s cafe space opens at 216 N. Peoria Street, it’ll feature a full coffee bar, run in partnership with Chicago purveyor and cafe Four Letter Word. It’ll also offer a larger menu featuring vanilla-lime bonbons, Cajeta caramels, quiche, toasts, and more.
Chicago-based Mondelez, formerly known as Kraft Foods prior to 2012, holds numerous well-known snack brands including Nabisco, Triscuit, Ritz, and Chips Ahoy! The company reported a rise in first-quarter sales Tuesday, according to the Tribune. Leadership attributed the growth in part to anxious customers trying to sooth themselves with familiar treats at home.
Good Ambler, 216 N. Peoria Street, Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29 through Friday, May 1. Hours will then change to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday.