Cocoa Bean celebrates 14 years in Geneva

GENEVA – Cocoa Bean Fine Desserts, 11 S. Seventh St., Geneva, marked its 14th year as a French-style bakery July 27 with a toast of strawberry lemonade and some shared goodies with customers, a news release stated.

“It has been my absolute pleasure to bring fine, French-style baked goods to the Fox Valley area all these years,” owner and pastry chef Paul Saucedo stated during his toast, the release stated. “I am humbled and appreciative for the last 14 years and look forward to many more.”

Red and gold balloons decorated the café area of the bakery, and dozens of loyal patrons milled about, ordering their favorite pastries and sharing their reasons for continually patronizing the Geneva bakery, the release stated.

“It’s almost like stepping into France when you come here,” said Barbara Olle of West Chicago. “The way he layers the almond filling in the almond croissant makes it still crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.”

Customers raved over the authentic French treats made daily at Cocoa Bean, and compared notes on the quality of their baked goods and the difficulty in choosing every time they stop in, the release stated.

“People ask me what’s good, and I say to close your eyes and point,” Tom Popper of Geneva stated in the release.

“The croissants are really as good as any you’ll get in France,” Marilyn and David Bald of Geneva stated in the release. “We come at least three times a week. ... The only reason we don’t come Mondays is because they are closed.”

Cocoa Bean also serves coffee beverages in addition to baked goods, and has a loyal following for it, as well.

“We aren’t eating sugar right now, but we love the coffee here,” Robyn Gislain of Geneva stated in the release. “It’s so hard to come in and not buy any treats.”

In addition to thanking his customers for their patronage, Saucedo also gave kudos to his staff in his toast.

“They work so hard and have as much pride as I do in the quality of our food,” Saucedo stated in the release.

Saucedo is a graduate of Kendall College of Chicago and has a culinary career that spans more than 25 years at such prestigious restaurants and hotels as The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago, Rhapsody Restaurant in Chicago, and the Grand Hotel Adolphus in Dallas, the release stated.

Information is available by visiting CocoaBeanGeneva.com.