Anisette Sweet Shop, a quaint, accessibility-driven bakery, packs global flavors into a bite-sized neighborhood spot. Couple Nicole and Jason Evans Groth founded Anisette Sweet Shop back in 2016. Housed on 209 Bickett Blvd. in Raleigh, Anisette’s unassuming neighborhood spot offers delicate yet expansive flavors in its sweets, coffees, teas and wines.
Originally from Indiana, the Evans Groths moved to Raleigh in 2013. Nicole Evans Groth worked as the head confectioner for Videri Chocolate Factory and Jason Evans Groth, an NC State librarian, runs the Digital Media Lab in D.H. Hill Library.
Before the Raleigh move, the Evans Groths worked as touring musicians. While on tour, the foodie musicians found inspiration for Anisette when they visited metropolitan coffee shops on tour days. The variety of flavors at coffee shops on the road influenced the pair to open a unique spot with a little something for everyone.
“We sell things we love because it allows us to connect with the community on a deeper level,” Jason Evans Groth said. “It’s very similar to art and music; everyone will see how enthusiastic you are about it, leading to deeper, long-lasting connections.”
Subtle, Mediterranean flavor profiles and seasonal ingredients comprise the menu. Jason Evans Groth treks monthly to Carolina Ground flour mill in Hendersonville to purchase local flour for Anisette — an embodiment of Anisette’s commitment to quality. The ingredients shape the daily seasonal menu with offerings of olive oil cinnamon rolls, snickerdoodle lattes and cardamom donut muffins.
“We wanted to focus on flavors and seasonality, not necessarily classic American bakery sweetness,” Jason Evans Groth said. “We want to invite people into the shop to experience something new.”
Passionate about accessibility, all of Anisette’s treats are vegetarian or vegan. The Evans Groths have followed a primarily plant-based diet and wanted to make it easy to enjoy a pastry.
“We’re just people who like to eat vegetables a lot,” Jason Evans Groth said. “After years of traveling to places that made our dietary choices accessible, we wanted to offer that to other people too.”
Last year, Anisette renovated the Raleigh location to create more space for people to enjoy treats. During the renovation, the bakery shared offerings via pop-up shops at So & So Books, an independent bookstore on N Person Street. Chris Tonelli, a co-owner of So & So books and Director of External Relations at NC State Libraries, works with Jason Evans Groth and saw an opportunity to welcome Anisette to So & So Books during the renovation.
“The neighborhood [by So & So] doesn’t have local coffee offerings on Sundays and Mondays, so bringing Anisette to the community made a lot of sense,” Tonelli said. “It’s been a great collaboration, they’re super fun to work with and we foresee more pop ups in the future.”
A trip to Anisette is a holistic experience and serves as a love letter to the Evans Groths art, music and culinary tastes. Local artisan displays paired with a pastel, vintage interior carry the sweets’ craftsmanship into the shop’s walls.
“We look forward to sharing the thing we love with other people,” Jason Evans Groth said. “It feels like an incredible privilege to be in that position.”
Stay in the know on all things Anisette by following their Instagram. Pay a visit to Anisette during bakery hours Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or bar hours from 6-10 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays.
