Sticky Fingers Bakery is a vegan bakery located in the up-and-coming neighborhood Columbia Heights in Northwest Washington, DC. And it’s already a neighborhood staple. Chef and Founder, Doron Peterson, is committed to serving tasty sweet and savory fare that is free of animals and animal byproducts. She is also a 2-time winner on the hit series, Cupcake Wars. Food aside, this quaint little bakery has a great ambience, complete with kitchen decor from our grandmothers’ era–an old timey refrigerator, oven, and even a kitchen aid mixer. Plus, the friendly staff seems to really enjoy being a part of the Sticky team.
I sampled three items: the cup of vegan chilli, the cowvin cookie (vanilla cream-filled oatmeal cookie sandwich), and the seasonal sweet potato cupcake with maple frosting and a toasted marshmallow. The cowvin cookie was one of the orginal three items available from Sticky Fingers Bakery, and the person I went with said he orders it every time he goes! (and he isn’t vegan.) I tried it, and the flavor was delicious and the size was gigantic. My only criticism is that the edges of the cookies were too hard for my liking.
Stick Fingers Bakery also serves a number of savory vegan items–including salads, burgers, soups, and brunch. I didn’t want to eat cookies and cupcakes on an empty stomach, so I tried the “veggie chilli,” a mix of black beans, kidney beans, veggies, peppers and spices. I happen to really love vegetable chilli, and I shared a fantastic vegan chilli recipe several years ago. My only issue with the chilli, though it was tasty, is that it had faux meat in it. I suppose that if I were an actual vegan, I’d appreciate this. But, I find the beans in vegan chilli give it enough protein, so processed faux meat substitutes seem unnecessary. Plus, the online menu failed to mention that there was faux meat in the chilli. But, at 2.99 a cup and 3.99 a bowl, I can’t really complain (and I’d order it again!)
The last item I sampled was the sweet potato cupcake with maple frosting (pictured at top of post). This is one of their seasonal offerings, and since this place is a two-time winner of cupcake wars, I figured that I should try a cupcake. Plus, I asked what the most popular cupcake was, and this was it! The cupcake itself was tasty, but it was a little dry and the frosting left something to be desired. And the marshmallow on top was just–hard. I scraped the frosting (and marshmallow) off, and pretended like it was just a muffin. Not bad–but not sure if it was worth $4 (especially since I didn’t enjoy the frosting).
All in all, I’d return to Sticky Fingers Bakery because it feels great supporting local businesses with a conscience! Plus, I need to try the dish that Sticky Fingers was named after–the sticky bun!
