Colies Cakes and Pasteries
by Jean Di Lisio
As one enters Colie’s Cakes and Pastries at 132 N. Commercial Street #A in Trinidad, CO, a proliferation of multi-shaped holiday decorated sugar cookies make eye contact, winking from behind the sparkling glass and under the colorful array of carrot cake, cinnamon rolls and sticky buns. Then a shelf of empty take-out boxes, soon to be filled with bakery delights, set the boundary to the bakery baking area where Sydney Galasso, Mashell and Katie Santistevan, Michelle Gonzales and Anna Bower gracefully watch over the ovens, decorate the products and announce “We make it all here!”
The symphony of sweets surround the shelving and warm scents of freshness fill the scene:
Pastries: Cinnamon rolls, Sticky Buns, Cream Puffs, Eclairs, Brownie, Scones, Banana Nut Bread, Lemon or Pecan Bars, and more.
Cookies: Oatmeal cream pie, Coconut Macaroons, Drop Cookies, Black, White and Butter cream Cookies and Naked Cookies
Cakes: Carrot Cake, Cheesecake, Misfit Cake, Celebration Cakes
Pies: Cherry, Apple and Pumpkin
Holiday Treats: Kifflings, Wine Cookies, Potica, Scaledies, Sweet Butter Cookies, Biscoti, Divinity
Breads: Ciabatta, Challah and Colie’s own Sourdough
Gifts: Sweet Shirts, Papyrus Cards and Candles, Local art
Nicole Paradisa, founder and entrepreneur, specializes in creating celebratory cakes for weddings, birthdays and special events. Upon graduating in 2013 from Johnson and Whales with an AA in Baking and Pastries, “Colie” earned her BA in Business Management. Baking from her family home and then opening her first bakery shop at 1138 Nickerson Avenue was launched in 2017. This was soon outgrown, when she re-located in 2019 to the Toltec Building. Capturing recipes from Grandma Gretchen and Great Grandma Sophie, Nicole credits her success to Tony and Tammy, her parents, owners of Topar Welding since April 1986.
Visit: www.coliespastries.com or call (719) 846-2255 Hours Tuesday- Friday: 8am to 3pm and Saturday: 8am to 1pm
Dulces Encantados
Bernadette has been making candy for 20+ years. She fell into this sweet career quite by accident! The family moved to Raton in 2004 with their 3 youngest children. During those ensuing years, when the family would drive by the two-story, sky-blue trimmed building on 1st Street, Bernadette would remark, “That would be the cutest spot for a candy shop!” and dream about creating a candy store. In the planning stages from 2018, her dreams manifested when they opened “Dulces Encantatos” or “Enchanting Sweets” in July of 2019. Counting on support from her devoted husband, Dominic and children Victoria, Mateo and Carolina, a genuine candy store exists! She’s known for her red and white polka dot mini-bows, which adorn almost every item in the shop. During their first two years on First Street, they’ve generated regulars and many visiting patrons.
Dulces boasts a candy-flavored conversational feel to a stretch of downtown that was eerily quiet not so long ago. “I think candy is beautiful – so colorful,” says Bernadette, “and although I adore the children who frequent our shop my favorite customers are the adults who come in to purchase candies from their past – Like Cherry Mash, Espeez Rock Candy, Pop Rocks, PaintBall Pops and Wacky Wafers, to name a few.”
Bernadette hand makes her caramel. There are several delicious chocolate covered caramel concoctions in the chocolate case that will brighten anyone’s day. Her weekly rotating mix of delicious caramel apples . . . Plain, Peanut, Piñon, and Biscochito and handmade delicious fudge (with or without nuts) entices each candy connoisseur. Wouldn’t gourmet lollipops in your favorite boozy concoctions . . . Pink Champagne, Mojito, Rose, and Peach Bellini be adorable as a center piece on your Valentine table?
Dominic comments, “We have a little bit of Raton’s heritage here, as many of our displays were donated from Doggy Stylez, Rueben’s, Di Lisio’s Department Store and a couple of private citizens.” You’ll enjoy how they’ve repurposed these fixtures. So, come on by and pick up some candy to enjoy. You deserve it! We are so grateful for each and every one of you – Thank You for your support!
Dulces Encantados
138 South 1st Street
Raton, NM 87740
(575) 383-0014
Hours: Tuesday 11 to 4
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday 10 to 4
Friday 10 to 6
Closed Sunday and Monday
I Love Sugar Sweets and Eats
Liz Torres, a self-trained candy maker and legitimate chef, who leaves no stone unturned, saw “I Love Sugar” as her chance to diversify in 2013. For the past 30+ years, she’s operated the popular Commercial Street Hair Salon and Spa in downtown Trinidad, Colorado. Even if you’re not in the market for a hair do, you should stop by to appreciate her “big city chic” that covers the interior walls and graces the exterior sidewalk decor. Her entrepreneurial skills bring business to Trinidad on a larger scale. As they seek out merchandise at “The Las Vegas Candy and Toy Show,” Liz, Zoey and Reuben find rare specialty gifts and candies not often available in rural locations.
Sugar’s faithful following demonstrates a devoted clientele in much the same manner as her hair salon. Enamored by the idea of partnering with her daughter, Zoee, they’ve captured a specialty market, with two separate businesses operating in a single space.
- From fancy, hand-dipped Carmel apples to colorful bags of taffy . . .
- From homemade cashew clusters and cinnamon caramels to alligator slime & dinosaur finger puppets . . .
- From Cool & Odd Socks to Pucker Powder Candy Art in clear tubes.
- From fresh roasted and glazed Bavarian Nuts to Custom Gift Baskets
“I Love Sugar Sweets and Eats” is the place to develop your special party!
Recently, Liz opted to open “Blaze’s Mexi Grill” with her son, Blaze and mentions that “We’re excited to serve our family’s favorite comfort foods: fresh, made from scratch burritos, chimichangas, enchiladas and stuffed sopapillas!” “It feels really good,” she said. “to have members of your own family boost Trinidad’s economy!”
With the help of the Torrez family operations, you’ll find everything you need to create a breathtaking wedding or a dazzling children’s party! “When you patronize the Torres family businesses you get more than delicious food or treats, you get to be part of the family. Come on by, you’re always welcome!”
For more information contact:
I Love Sugar Sweets and Eats
259 N. COMMERCIAL (719) 846-2000
Emaill: reubenliztorres@#yahoo.com
Hours: 9am to 5pm Monday – Saturday
The Wing Pit and The Trinidad Roasting Company
326 N. Commercial Street
(719) 859-0326
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11am to 8pm
We watch from the indoor booth, like someone’s front porch, sipping Chai and Expresso, while slowly enjoying the fluffy, circular yeast dough apple fritters, glazed doughnuts and beautifully browned bagels. They have introduced new foot traffic to that stretch of downtown, along with Almack’s Kitchen and Trinidad Creamery, also located at the Market Place Court. Adjacent to them, Paradox’s customers love the late evening menu from Wing Pit which opened just before the pandemic. It now draws a quiet stream of business, but soon may host a large line of eager and hungry customers.
The Wing Pit and The Trinidad Roasting Company is the result of what happens when two dreams collide. Owners Andrew and Bethany Stevens, along with son Malachi and daughter Genesis, envisioned a day when they would own their own business. “We always wanted to open a coffee shop because they always seem busy,” they explained, admitting they had no idea how busy they’d be as a wing pit and coffee shop owner. The first step for Stevens, however, was turning those dreams into reality. Two years ago, they took a very practical approach to making this happen. After contacting Otero Partner’s Inc., a non-profit geared toward nurturing Las Animas and Otero County entrepreneurs; they qualified for the loan and opened in 2019 as “ The Wing Pit!”
Building a reputation: They readily approach the realities of Year One for small businesses. This is when entrepreneurs try to fine-tune their product and operations, while building customer awareness and loyalty. “We’re very thankful to New Legends Magazine for introducing us to the community and expect that our expanded menu and venue will include roasting and grinding our own coffee blends, then developing a variety of gourmet popcorn, nuts and homemade fudge.” Bethany and Andrew are happy to share the biggest lesson learned from Year One and Two: The key to being a successful dreamer and an entrepreneur is that “you adjust your plans as you go and go with the will of God!”
To order your wings or breakfast treats, please contact: Drew or Beth at:
The Wing Pit and The Trinidad Roasting Company
326 N. Commercial Street
(719) 859-0326
Hours: Monday – Saturday 11am to 8pm
