CINCINNATI — After a tumultuous year, a new local bakery is spreading some holiday cheer by accepting letters to Santa Claus, letting people take pictures with their life-size replica of the jolly old elf and giving out holiday treats.
Angela Grillo, owner of Maribelle Cakery, was planning on opening her bakery's second location, called Mon Petit Choux, in early 2020, but then the pandemic put that on hold. Then in the fall, Grillo opened the second bakery to help her employees' financial situations.
"I don't want to lay them off without having a security blanket that I know that they're taken care of," Grillo said.
Now, to bring some holiday cheer, Mon Petit Choux has a mailbox ready for any letters to Santa. Because Santa is working harder than usual this year, the bakery has a replica of the legendary figure ready for pictures with the kids.
Then, once a week, Grillo picks out one letter to Santa and gives a free box of treats to whoever wrote the letter.
"It's our way to give back and say, 'Hey, we appreciate all of you and I hope this will give you a little bit of holiday cheer,'" Grillo said. "It makes me want to become a millionaire in this business so I can give back so much more."
