Having a stand in the 106-year-old West Side Market means something to Sabrina Catlin. Yes, it’s about being part of a foodie community and the city’s cultural identity, but it’s also about the ties of a close-knit family and carrying on her mother’s legacy. After her mother died in 2014, Catlin took over the 17-year-old stand that bears her mother’s name. “When I worked here, that’s when I spent the most time with my mom,” she says. “So continuing her business on, that’s how I hold a piece of her.” Since opening in 2001, the bakery has expanded to include more than its popular, cinnamon-laced apple fritters, which are still made with Theresa’s original recipe. Customers can choose from 17 varieties of cannoli — many of them finished with candy, nuts or other imaginative toppings — and a whopping 46 flavors of macarons. In January, Catlin expanded the business to include a second stand just a few steps away: Michelle’s Bakery. It will soon be rebranded as Theresa’s Bakery and offer different baked goods — think doughnuts, cream puffs and nut rolls. Having grown up working alongside her mother, Catlin says the market feels like home — her husband even works as a butcher at Dionne’s Meats, just across the aisle. “Most of these people are like family to me,” she says. 1979 W. 25th St., Stand D-8, Cleveland, 216-523-1199
Our Pick: Delicious dunked in coffee, the tubular, cinnamon-and-walnut-filled snuggles ($3) make great breakfast treats.
