Less Milk & Honey, more Milk & Honey

You may have already heard the news about Milk & Honey Bake Shop—that it's no more, and will never be again. Carol Watkins, the owner of the shop, got tired of having a bakery where there was no room to bake things. So on Saturday Cippolina will open in its place.

Watkins has teamed up with John Manion for the project, which will be an Italian deli that will serve panini and salads; sell cured meats and cheeses by the pound; and offer a limited selection of grocery items, including pints of Black Dog Gelato. (Watkins assured me that most of the pastries from the Bake Shop will be available at the Division Street location of Milk & Honey).

Though the new concept means less Milk & Honey for Wicker Park, the rest of Chicago will see an influx of the brand. Soon Whole Foods will be the exclusive retailer for three new flavors of M&H's famed granola: Chocolate-Banana (the banana comes in the form of banana chips), Blueberry Pecan and a reduced-fat Cinnamon Raisin. (Six months later the products will be available in other stores; they will always be available at Cippolina and M&H).

I happen to live with a M&H granola fanatic—as I write this there's one opened and two more unopened bags of the stuff on my kitchen countertop—so rest assured that a full report of each flavor will find its way into this space soon.