A Decadent Way to Start the Day

By Jordan Staggs | Photography courtesy of Decadent Coffee and Dessert Bar

“Everyone loves breakfast, right?” asks Chef Jeff Martin. “For me, I feel like I can eat whatever I want to start the day.”

This seems like a surprising statement coming from a chef who has made his mark on the dessert industry. You may recognize Martin from seasons one, two, and seven of Food Network’s competition series Cupcake Wars. He went on to found the delicious franchise Smallcakes Cupcakery after his first appearance on the show, and the brand has expanded tremendously to more than 220 locations worldwide. His other sweet-treat-centric projects include Southern Charm Gelato, CowLick Scoop Shop, and Decadent Coffee and Dessert Bar, all falling within Martin’s aptly named Buttercream Dreams Hospitality Group.

Decadent Coffee and Dessert Bar, which Martin started in his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, now has over ten locations in the US and has expanded its offerings past the dessert realm. In addition to sweet treats that are made fresh daily, the breakfast and lunch items—not to mention the coffee—are quickly becoming favorites among the café’s patrons.

Decadent Coffee and Dessert Bar offers a variety of fresh baked goods, breakfast foods, and coffee selections daily.

“I’ve always been intrigued by coffee,” says Martin as he sits at Decadent in the 30Avenue town center in Inlet Beach, Florida, where the hospitality group is also headquartered. “Learning more about growing organic coffee beans, researching fair-trade buying, and exploring different flavors have been fun. I think coffee is something that our customers are really interested in and want to know more about, especially those patrons around the 30-A area here in Florida.” Decadent’s coffee beans come from organic farms in Honduras and are roasted at a small roastery near Kansas City that Martin has worked with for about thirteen years.

Each Decadent café location serves two house flavors, including the House Blend and the Founder’s Blend, which Martin says is his favorite. It’s a dark-roast coffee made from Honduran and Mexican coffee beans. “What I’ve found out is that our different recipes roast a little differently each time, and they might taste slightly different depending on the batch of beans and where they were grown, but they’re always delicious,” he continues. “It’s good to have different flavors and options available; coffee is such an art.” In addition to the house flavors, each Decadent café will also have special coffee blends on rotation throughout the year. Currently featured at the 30Avenue location is the 30A Classic blend, a consistent and smooth roast that’s light and frothy—perfect for coffee drinkers who aren’t interested in lattes or Americanos but just want a good cup of joe. “If you’re boring, like me, you’ll love it,” Martin jokes.

Our breakfast menu is seeing an evolution like our desserts did—taking those favorite items and making them different and special.

Always keeping the environment and giving back as priorities, Decadent recycles its coffee grounds by offering them to customers for composting.

As the café’s coffee menu expanded, so too did its breakfast offerings. “It isn’t just about eggs and bacon anymore,” says Martin. “Our breakfast tacos are a favorite—we hand make the tortillas, which is pretty special, and we also make all our croissants in-house. Our breakfast menu is seeing an evolution like our desserts did—taking those favorite items and making them different and special.” The 30Avenue location especially sees a rush on school mornings, when the plaza’s office workers and the students and teachers of the neighboring Ohana Institute stop by for their morning meal. It prompted Martin and his team to adapt by developing a mobile app where people can order their Decadent favorites and have the items ready to pick up when they arrive. “It’s really been a game changer for us,” Martin says.

Soon, Decadent Coffee and Dessert Bar at 30Avenue will be moving to a new location at the front of the town center, offering better visibility to Highway 98 and an easier-to-access storefront for guests. The short move will not affect the café’s offerings, as it will continue to serve the same breakfast, lunch, and dessert favorites while continually expanding and evolving its menu. Martin says he is excited about the switch and can’t wait to share the new interior space with Decadent’s loyal customers. Stop by this spring to see it for yourself, and maybe grab a fresh cup of coffee, breakfast sandwich, or mason-jar milkshake while you’re at it!

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Visit DecadentDessertBar.com to learn more or to find a location near you. Learn more about the hospitality group and Martin’s other projects at ButtercreamDreamsHG.com.