June 24, 2024
Mike Prince/Peter Breslow Consulting & Public Relations
Manayunk bakery Flakely Gluten Free has unveiled a 'pastry ATM' at the Salt & Vinegar market in South Philly. Above, Flakely owner and pastry chef Lila Colello poses with the new vending machine.
A new vending machine at a Bella Vista store is making it easier — and more fun — to purchase your breakfast or dessert.
Manayunk bakery Flakely Gluten Free has unveiled its first "pastry ATM" at the Salt & Vinegar store located at 905 S. 9th St. in the Italian Market.
MORE: Bucks County's Owowcow now selling ice cream in Cape May
To use the vending machine, which officially opened for business last Tuesday, customers can tap their credit card, open the door and grab their desired pastry from the freezer. Each item is tagged with a microchip, so any product that leaves the vending machine will be charged to the card.
The ATM holds Flakely's bestselling items, including gluten-free croissants, bagels, baguettes, cakes and "pop-tart" pastries. It has four shelves, and can hold approximately 60 items at once. The treats are kept frozen in the vending machine, and can be taken home and heated up.
"I am most excited to increase access to our products during what would be considered ‘normal business hours,’ especially in South Philly where our biggest fan-base seems to be," Flakely owner Lila Colello said in a release. "This will allow some of our most loyal customers to have easier access to our products, which means a lot to me as a chef, and especially as a gluten-free baker who understands how difficult it can be to find quality baked goods for those suffering from celiac disease."
Pastry chef Colello was diagnosed with celiac disease — a chronic digestive disorder in which a person has a resistant reaction to eating gluten — in 2010, after years of working under celebrated chefs like Wolfgang Puck and Stephen Starr. After getting sick from working with gluten, she put her career on hold and began perfecting gluten-free recipes.
Flakely opened in 2021 at 220 Krams Avenue in Manayunk, and specializes in gluten-free breads, bagels and pastries. Flakely's takeout window is open two days a week, on Thursdays from 12-3 p.m. and Saturdays from 12-2 p.m., for walk-ups and preorder pickups.
Colello determined that she could serve even more customers by installing the ATM full of pastries at Salt & Vinegar, which is open daily. She plans to install additional vending machines at other small businesses throughout Philly and its suburbs.
The new pastry innovation joins other unique vending machines and ATMs that have been unveiled in Philadelphia in the past year, including a 24-hour cheese vending machine at Perrystead Dairy and a dog treat ATM at TD Bank's South Philly location.
Follow Franki & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @wordsbyfranki
| @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice
Have a news tip? Let us know.
