Dolci Dolci brings a little sweet to your life

Stay-at-home mom Lindsey DiBenedetto Winter was watching TV late one night when she saw a reality show in which a woman took her baking hobby and turned it into a career. The first person she thought of was her Italian grandmother, who every year turned out traditional treats for the family in batches of hundreds. Why couldn’t she and her sister, Megan DiBenedetto, help her grandmother do the same thing with her baking? “My grandmother said, ‘**** no, I’m too old for that,’ ” Winter says with a laugh. “But she told us Megan and I should go ahead.” The sisters did just that, taking the recipes that had been handed down through the family for generations—cannolis, cucidati, tiramisu—and selling them at the Red Stick Farmers Market. The treats proved an instant hit at their holiday debut, and the sisters soon rented a commercial kitchen and launched their new catering business, Dolci Dolci Italian Baking Co. In its few months of existence, the company has already catered everything from kids’ birthday parties to giant conferences, yet the sisters still find time to make bags of cookies for individuals just looking for a little something sweet to bring home. Although they’ve had to stop selling at the farmers’ market, they are hoping to start selling their treats at local stores such as Latte e Miele Gelato, and plan to return to the market for seasonal specials. In the meantime, you can check out their range of treats at dolcidolcisweets.com.