Add another spot to your Edwardsville, Illinois, bucket list: Brevan's Patisserie opened Monday, January 27, at 1009 Century Drive. We're making the drive more and more, what with Cleveland-Heath, the new Mike Shannon's, a Robust outpost, and now Brevan's.
See also: Up to the Mike: Ol' Shannon has done it again -- with a grill in Edwardsville
"I'm trying to teach my kids to chase your dreams, and being happy is more important than a lot of things," co-owner Dan Maddox tells Gut Check of his jump into the bakery business.
Maddox, who runs the patisserie with his wife, Amy, has been a pastry chef in the hotel business for the last fourteen years, but he decided he wasn't getting to spend enough time with his family. In fact, Brevan's is named after their two sons: Brendan, ten, and Evan, seven.
"We've always wanted to have a pastry shop, so to have a better quality of life and more time with them, we just took the plunge and got a business loan and jumped right in," Maddox says. "God really put a lot of things in front of us to make it possible."
The first day went well, and Brevan's sold out of several things. The item Maddox thinks is poised to be a best seller is "The Brendan": chocolate mousse filled with peanut butter crème brûlée. Um, sign us up.
"We have a wide variety of lots of different textures and flavors, not just upscale French pastries, but also homestyle baked goods," Maddox says. "No matter what you're looking for, you're going to find it here -- we have some gluten-free items, too."
Maddox says the boys have been patient with the long hours, late nights and hectic schedule, but they always love eating the goodies and have a setup in the Brevan's office to make it their own.
"It's about slowing down and enjoying food and friends and family," Maddox says of Brevan's philosophy. "We have free Wi-Fi, we have some comfortable chairs and just a nice, warm, inviting atmosphere."
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