It’s become a frequently asked question from visitors to the new cake shop on Hodgson Memorial Drive. “Oh wow, did you know there was a Lulu’s Chocolate Bar downtown?”
“Um, yeah, that’s us. Same cakes.” “Oh! I didn’t know that.”
It’s kinda funny when you think about it, considering the name Lulu’s has made for herself since opening her doors on MLK downtown. She has, without question, become a destination for tourists who love to play the “find the locals spots” game on websites like Trip Advisor, Yelp, or Urbanspoon. The local cocktail crowd knows all about Lulu’s Chocolate Bar downtown. The tourists seek her out. But now Lulu’s has a second location. However, you know what they say about trees, woods and witnesses. Despite a big ole’ refrigerated van parked out front with a big ole’ logo on it (same as the one downtown) people still ask that question. “Did you know there is a Lulu’s Chocolate Bar downtown?”
Nevermind the fact that a person by the name of “Lulu” doesn’t exist, the name is unique enough to connect the dots between locations. If the name doesn’t do it for you, then step inside and take a bite of something in there. Then you will know. Lulu Cakes isn’t a second location for their cocktail bar. No, no. Lulu Cakes is a full blown, full service bakery right in the heart of town.
Janine Finn and Rebecca Radovich started Lulu’s on MLK. Rebecca the popular baker, Janine the bean counter. Together they brought something unique to Downtown Savannah. A great spot for cocktails, a glass of wine, and a wonderful housemade dessert. It’s a great way to start your evening or end your evening. I’ve done both many, many times. So have countless others. Their success story is a great one since setting up shop on an (at the time) underdeveloped MLK corridor. Now, as I mentioned before, the tourists search for Lulu’s and love the cakes and treats so much, the next question they get is “OMG, do you ship these?” Yeah, they are really that good.
The demand for whole cakes and shipping and special events and a ton of business, started the ladies on their path to a new location. They’d had talked about it for a while. They certainly needed a larger kitchen to handle the demand, but they weren’t going to jump at anything just for the sake of having more space. Eventually, the timing was right and now they are churning out the same greatness on the Southside, at 7060 Hodgson Memorial Drive.
“We absolutely love having this much space”, Rebecca says. I can only imagine. The kitchen downtown is small. And they stayed plenty busy. They still do in that tiny space, but the special orders, custom orders, and wedding cakes (yes, wedding cakes) are now being produced at Lulu Cakes. Even the new name as a nice ring to it, no?
I spent some time with the ladies recently getting a good look at what they are up to inside of Lulu Cakes and the operation they have going on. Here I am standing among countless desserts, watching the staff slice peaches, pour chocolate, frost cakes and I didn’t take one single bite. Not one. Oh, I was offered! But I behaved that day. It was tough, but I maintained my composure. The cakes looked amazing. I still dream about the Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. That was closest I got to grabbing a slice with my bare hand, backing into a corner, and just jamming it in my face. Again, tempted, but no deal.
They do everything on Hodgson Memorial that they do downtown and then some. Especially the special orders. They are growing their brand into the very competitive wedding cake market here in Savannah, but their quality should put them up against anything else you will find in town. I know I need to step lightly here because there is some tremendous wedding cake talent in this city (and more on the way), but I have yet to ever try anything from Lulu’s that wasn’t just amazing. So why not wedding cakes? They should be on your list when shopping around with your bride. Long passed the wedding phase of life? Well, then your next midtown coffee run should include a stop at Lulu Cakes for a slice or seven of their desserts. Cookies? Yeah, they’ve got those as well. The office will love you. They might even let you go home five minutes early on Friday.
Of course, I’m just being silly (that’s what I do). But you needed to know that you don’t have to drive all the way downtown to get the same baked goodness from Lulu’s Cakes that you will find at Lulu’s Chocolate Bar. Tourists sweep in and ship them all over the country, they are that good. Just think about what you’d save in postage with a short drive.
Just don’t ask them if they knew about the Lulu’s Chocolate Bar downtown. Yeah, they’ve heard that one before.
See you on TV.
Jesse
