The height of a pandemic might seem like a risky time to start a small business, but for Lara Adekoya, who launched the cookie bakery Fleurs et Sel in April, the reward has been sweet.
“I always dreamed of having my own business, however, it was a beautiful and unexpected surprise that my dreams would actualize during the quarantine,” Adekoya says.
Before the shutdown, Adekoya had been one of the top sales associates at Nordstom at the Grove. When the pandemic sent her home, she got to work in the kitchen, baking batch after batch of her favorite cookie recipes to soothe her pandemic nerves and send to loved ones and former customers she hoped to stay connected with during the stressful time.
A few gorgeous Instagram photos of cookies later, paid orders started pouring in, and a whole new business was born.
“My very first order was to one of my top clients from Nordstrom. She saw my cookies on Instagram and called me immediately asking to place an order. It was with her encouragement that I found my entrepreneurial spirit—and community of clients, many of whom are now close friends, and continue to show me so much support,” she says.
This weekend, Adekoya is going back to the Grove, but this time for a special pop-up in the complex’s Glass Box space, selling her signature baked goods, which typically sell out each time she opens an opportunity to order.
“The Grove is a very special, sentimental and joyful place to me,” she says. “Opening my own pop-up here is truly a full circle moment and the biggest dream come true.”
Customers at the pop-up will be able to purchase or place orders for brown butter and vanilla bean sugar cookies, brownie-Oreo-cooking “BAE bars,” and other treats. The Glass Box will be transformed into a photo-op-ready experience by Mindy Weiss, the event and wedding planner favored by the Kardashians, the Biebers, and even Diana Ross.
Fleurs et Sel Pop-Up at the Grove, October 23-25, noon-4 p.m. Online pre-orders accepted at fleursetsel.com for pick-up; limited items available for walk-up purchase.