New superfood bowl café to bloom soon in northwest Rochester
Aug. 9—ROCHESTER — A new "superfood" sorbet bowl shop is gearing up to bloom soon in northwest Rochester.
Med City entrepreneur Sarah Kirklin Pacchetti hopes to open
Bloom Açai Café
within the
First Alliance Credit Union Center
at 2483 Commerce Drive NW in a few weeks, possibly as early as the weekend of Aug. 19.
Pacchetti, known in Rochester for her
Home Instead in-home senior care services firm
as well as a
previous downtown dance studio project
, said opening a café to serve gluten-free, dairy-free, plant-based bowls of sorbets, fruits, nut-butters, seeds and more was not on her agenda until early 2021.
"I wasn't really looking for another business, but I tried superfood sorbet bowls in March of 2021, and I just fell in love with the concept. I just thought this would be really fun to bring to Rochester," she said. "I couldn't believe something that tastes like dessert was packed with so many health benefits."
That early interest led to a research trip to California, where bowl cafés are booming. That resulted in Pacchetti bringing back the aspects that she liked to Rochester to create Bloom.
When it opens, Bloom will offer 12 signature bowls made with a variety of fruit, grain and even edible flowers, plus an option for customers to build their own layered bowls. She expects to staff the café with a team of about 14 "Bowlistas" aka Bowl Artists.
While
the superfood bowl trend has already arrived in Minnesota and Rochester
, Pacchetti has her own unique take on the concept.
In addition to the layers of fruit sorbets, Bloom will offer nutritious Maca overnight oats as an option to add to a bowl or simply as a nutritious breakfast option on its own.
Pacchetti also has her own green sorbet that includes vegetables like kale and broccoli combined with fruits like kiwi and apples.
In addition to the menu, Pacchetti is excited about the location of her new café with the commercial center opened by First Alliance Credit Union in 2020. Bloom is joining Great Harvest Bread and
Moka
to create a sort of a food court vibe along with the credit union and
a Doma real estate office
.
The addition of Bloom fills the final available space in the complex. Pachetti has made the café very eye-catching and colorful with a large mural by Rochester artist Greg Wimmer.
Jeff Kiger tracks business action in Rochester and southeastern Minnesota every day in "Heard on the Street." Send tips to
or via Twitter to
@whereskiger
. You can call him at 507-285-7798.
