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A community hub offering strawberry guava cinnamon rolls, bean-to-bar craft chocolate, intricate soaps, mushroom tinctures, Italian-imported goods and more is coming soon to Belmont.
Created by the owners of Belmont-based pop-up bakery Made Out of Dough, The Local Spot is not only the bakery’s debut brick-and-mortar shop, but also a place for small businesses to showcase and sell their goods. More than 20 local vendors are setting up shop at The Local Spot in preparation for its grand opening Aug. 31. Purchases go directly to the vendors – Courtney Tomioka and Michele Desmet, the married couple behind Made Out of Dough and The Local Spot, are not taking a commission.
“We know how hard it is to open a place,” Tomioka said. “We thought, ‘Well, we have a bunch of friends that make killer product and it works, and we stand behind it, and why not give them a place as well?’”
The name The Local Spot pays homage to Tomioka’s Hawaiian roots. The term refers to a spot where the locals go, where tourists won’t be found, such as a movie theater, grocery store or strip mall.
“In Hawaii, when you say, ‘Let’s go to the local spot,’ it’s more of a vibe than a place,” Tomioka said. “We’re trying to be here to not only create a vibe, but be here for the small businesses that need some love.”
Tomioka, who trained at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, founded Made Out of Dough about 13 years ago. The business started with seasonal scones and is now best known for its cinnamon rolls, which now come in flavors such as strawberry guava, Double Irish (which has alcohol), peach, apple and even savory.
The Local Spot is a 900-square-foot space located next door to Made Out of Dough’s commercial kitchen. The hub is divided into two spaces: Made Out of Dough, which has a more rustic, modern feel, and the vendors’ area, which has more of a funky vibe with Polynesian influence and bright colors.
Made Out of Dough’s section will be a grab-and-go space with no seating and will offer some new baked goods that won’t necessarily be offered at the San Carlos Farmers Market, where the couple has and will continue to sell their baked goods. Desmet said Made Out of Dough plans to eventually introduce croissants, focaccia and ciabatta at their brick and mortar.
Vendors offering edible goods include San Francisco-based Pass The Sauces, offering handmade salsa with locally soured ingredients; Sugar Butter Love, specializing in toffee and brittle; 1.2.3 Chocolat, known for its French mousse; A La French, a crepe and buckwheat galette business owned by a woman from Brittany, France; The Final Sauce, a Black- and women-owned business offering sauces and spices; 3Twenty6 Coffee, a Black-, women-owned small batch coffee roaster; Juice Me offering fresh-pressed juice with produce from local farmers markets; Bon Bon Voyage Chocolate, a Redwood City-based small batch, bean-to-bar craft chocolate maker; and Koophaus Apiaries, specializing in honey from a family-owned bee farm in Morgan Hill.
Other vendors specialize in macrame; charcuterie boards; soaps; natural remedies; clothing; leather goods from Florence, Italy; wreaths; dog and cat treats; fused glass pieces; fragrances; embroidery; jewelry; ceramics and hats.
Tomioka and Desmet are also working on a food truck schedule, with options such as Mexican food truck Lilo’s Kitchen and Filipino fusion barbecue truck Dom’s Nom’s.
To celebrate its grand opening, The Local Spot will be open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a ribbon cutting at 10:15 a.m. as well as giveaways, bubbly and food by Dom’s Nom’s.
Made Out of Dough, 196 Old County Road, Belmont; Instagram: @madeoutofdough and @the.local_spot. Beginning Aug. 31, open Wednesday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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