Peg DeLoriea – Brick St. Bakery

Freshly baked-goods are available in Adel! This month, we spoke with Cafe & Bakery Business Manager Peg DeLoriea of Optimae LifeServices about the new Brick Street Bakery, located on the west side of the courthouse square at 109 North 9th Street.

Peg DeLoriea

In 2011, Optimae LifeServices opened Brick Street Books & Cafe, located at 803 Main Street in Adel. Brick Street Books & Cafe is a bookstore and coffeehouse that serves as a hub of social activity, bringing together all walks of life.

The micro business offers a supported workplace, serving customers with mental illnesses and intellectual disabilities. Through the company’s core values of choice, respect, teamwork, and education, Optimae micro businesses provide opportunities to grow and work in family-like environments. By matching people’s skills with the work they love, Optimae gives customers a valued role while helping them climb out of poverty and become productive members of their communities.

“When our employees navigate in their community to establish banking, shopping, legal services, volunteer and church opportunities, they seek these opportunities with greater confidence. The community is no longer a stranger to them because they have worked in a position serving the community”

Peg is honored to help her clients learn new life skills through encouragement and understanding, lessons she learned herself working as an Executive Chef for many years.

“I have such a passion for this [work]. Its awesome when we can come along side people who struggle to find their role and place and help them find it. And help the community understand that our [customers] have a role and a place- that their valued role and place is no less impacting on the world than mine or yours. This life is hard enough and we spend a lot of time at work. We should be enjoying the experience.”

Customer employees receive one-on-one job coaching to provide them with education and support they need to be successful on the job. With the addition of Adel’s Brick Street Bakery in 2016, Optimae LifeServices now runs 10 micro businesses spread across Central and Southeastern Iowa that support more than 80 jobs for its customers.

The Brick Street Cafe offers a classic cafe menu including breakfast items, organic coffee drinks, catering options, homemade soups, luncheon salads, and sandwiches.

Thanks to overwhelming support, the Cafe’s popularity could not keep up with the restaurant’s need for fresh baked breads, pies, and pastries as well as the increasing catering demands in the small kitchen.

In September 2016, Optimae opened the Brick Street Bakery to provide their customers with another employment opportunity and expand the baked goods available to the Adel community. Optimae also relocated its main offices to 401 Visions Parkway to better serve Dallas County customers.

The Brick Street Bakery offers fresh pastries and baked goods such as donuts, pies, muffins, bread, and pastries. The bakery uses a single drop method for dispensing the batter into the oil, and turns the donuts by hand- an old school method that creates an outstanding flavor and consistency.

Bakery guests enjoy the historic building with picturesque views of the downtown square. Paired with fair-trade organic coffee and espresso drinks, the bakery has quickly become a favorite spot for Adel citizens.

Want to share your favorite spot?

Help name the Brick Street Bakery the Sweetest Bakery in America!

Like the bakery’s Facebook page and enter to win weekly prizes.

Vote daily in-store and online now through July 31st, 2017.
https://www.sweetestbakeryinamerica.com

Coming in 2017, Optimae will be adding a patio to the bakery.

“We want to give something back to Adel for being so good to us. Let’s promote community; let’s create a safe, inviting, family-oriented area for people to enjoy. The blueprints have been designed and the new patio will start construction soon. I can tell you there will be bike racks. The patio will be available for the community’s enjoyment.”

L-R: Sarah, Sadona, Peg, Wilma, Pam, Rose

Peg cannot stress enough how happy she is to see the Brick Street Bakery and Brick Street Books & Café making a difference in Adel.

“If we can promote relationships and provide a place for that to happen, we are going to do it. We enjoy seeing friends and family meet at our locations and spend quality time. We are blessed to be able to provide this for our community.

We have wonderful teams at the Café and Bakery and their passion is to serve. It’s not about me or what ability I have, but about the entire team, working together, growing, and creating an atmosphere where life occurs.”

If you would like to help customers gain life skills and knowledge to enter the workforce, join Optimae! Optimae LifeServices is currently seeking part-time and full-time job coaches. Named one of Iowa’s top workplaces by the Des Moines Register, Optimae offers competitive salaries and benefits, including health, vision and dental insurance, paid time off, paid life insurance, bereavement leave and anniversary bonuses.

To learn more, please visit http://www.optimaelifeservices.com.

Brick Street Bakery
109 N 9th St.
Adel, Iowa 50003
Phone: (515) 478-1187
Facebook: brickstreetbakery

Peg DeLoriea
Brick Street Business Manager
401 Visions Parkway, Suite A
Adel, Iowa 50003
Phone: (515) 250-4305
Email: pdeloriea@optimaelifeservices.com