By Peter Roos
Ceci, originally from the Philippines, lived in North Conway, New Hampshire, growing up from the late ‘70s. She was born to bake. When a new bakery opened in town in 2000, it became Ceci’s hangout. “It was so much fun there and the menu was always changing from croissants to wedding cakes,” Ceci recalled. She began assisting during holidays as well as delivering wedding cakes to small towns far off the beaten path. Wolf, a trained pastry chef from Maine, owned the bakery.
Ceci & Wolf took an art class together and a romance ensued. They renovated a building in town with the hope of opening a bakery and gallery in Maine gearing up for a summer 2017 opening. In Jan. 2017 they took a break from the snow and came to St. Pete Beach. They happened upon the Corey Avenue Market. The minute they arrived they felt home. The sense of community, sunshine, blue skies and smiles told them this was the place to be.
Returning to Maine, they sold their almost renovated property and returned a month later to the sunshine to begin selling fruit-filled pastries and cake slices at the Corey Avenue Sunday Market. They realized by listening to requests from customers that there was a big demand for vegan. Ceci, being vegan herself, had a recipe box full of tried and tested treats and they began offering donuts…vegan, gluten free donuts that are really like a small cake – perfect to slice and serve.
Here we are in January 2022 and Vegan Sunshine is a permanent part of the market community serving their vegan, gluten free goods – and this year the flavors being added will amaze you! Look for additions like Black Forest Cake Donut, Fruit Tart Donut, and the surprises will keep coming.
Find their booth–located on Blind Pass just south of Corey Ave., every Sunday 10am-2pm.