Circle City Sweets

09/01/2026

This week's shop update!!

Hi everyone!! Sorry for the delay in getting this out to you!! Been a busy few days!

First - So excited that I was selected as one of 11 Indiana chefs to compete in the Inaugural "Monumental Chef Showdown"!! This is an amazing new competition that is a fundraiser for the Paramount Schools Junior Chef Program. The competition is a series of 8 dinners/events from November through March and at each event, one chef will be eliminated. What is awesome is that you can buy tickets to the events and vote for me as your People's Choice to help me in immunity!! Of course I hope to be moving on each event to the finals based on the judges' scores, but it never hurts!!! Here is a link to the website with all the info and where to get tickets. All of the events will be held at Connor Prairie. https://www.monumentalchef.com/

Next - moving on to World Food Championships! Once again, we'll be taking to the floor of the Indiana State Fairgrounds to compete and hopefully, defend our 2025 World Dessert Title!! That means we are starting to take sponsors again for this fall's competition. For a sponsorship of $100, we'll invite you to a demo after the competition next year and do a full run through of our dish/dishes and you'll be taking all the goodies home!! Thank you to our sponsors so far for this year:
Erin Arkins
Lisa Beally
Carol Bowers
David and Megan Certo
Karen Dutcher
Judy Flannery
Karen and Denny Licht
Darren and Marianna Luddington
James and Sarah Pastrnak
Erin Powell
Vicky Shafer
Sara Zunk
This year at World Foods, we'll also be participating in an event after our dessert turn in called Dessert Smash - this is an opportunity for you to come, taste close to 40 desserts and pick your favorites!! The 6th and 7th spot moving on to the final round will be selected by a people's choice. Again, I hope to make it in on the top 5 places in points, but just in case, come on out, try our dessert and give us those votes!! Here is the link for tickets! https://worldfoodchampionships.com/tickets

Carmel Farmer's Market Wow!! We only have 4 more Summer Market Saturdays!!! Specials for this weekend - right now I'm only adding the OG cookies (this is the famous Greg Hardesty cookie that we make now and then with the hickory syrup, coconut, oats, etc. - $3 each) and I AM bringing the Croissant Tarts back this weekend!! They were SOOOOO good and we sold out so quickly! These are croissant dough squares with peaches from Indiana Peach MD, some brown sugar and a sprinkling of almonds. $6 each. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND PRE-ORDERING as I'll only have 39 to bring!!! Being Labor Day weekend, we'll be loaded up on burger and slider buns too. Don't forget - pre-orders for Saturday are due by Wednesday at 10am.

SHOP WILL BE CLOSED ON LABON DAY (Monday, September 7) and for the Goodwill buyout of the AMP on THURSDAY, September 17. We will not be open at all on either day.

Classes!! We have classes for the rest of the year posted!! I might be adding a couple more. Full descriptions of all classes are on the website, but here is the full list. Just call the shop at 317-632-3644. We have a few spots here and there, but not many. EXCEPT! We have a ton of spaces in our Thanksgiving Pie and Kid's Cookies for Santa classes. Call the shop to sign up. Full description and pricing on the website.

TRAVEL NEWS!! We are working with AMA Waterways on a Rhone River European River Cruise!! This will take place in August of 2027. We have the official flyer from AMA and it is awesome!! Roger and I will be your chef hosts and we are SO excited about this trip!! The trip will start in Arles and end is Lyon, which is my ALL TIME FAVORITE CITY IN FRANCE!!!!! If this sounds like something you might be interested in, let me know!! It is going to be AMAZING!!! I am also booking lots of other travel!! I can help you with cruises (Virgin, NCL, Viking, AMA Waterways, Royal Caribbean and more) and all-inclusive resorts. Shoot me an email to [email protected] if you are looking for a travel advisor - remember - this is a free service!!

ICE CREAM!! We've been back at making ice cream!! We currently have our "chipwich" - our amazing chocolate chip cookies sandwiched around our AMAZING vanilla bean ice cream ($6 - THEY ARE HUGE!!). We also have pints of cookies and cream and biscoff as well as lemon sorbet available ($12). These are only available IN the shop, not at the Carmel Market. I am going to be playing around with a fun one this week that I hope to post soon!!

Sweet friends!! If you can't make it to our shop, you can also find our pastries all around town. Here's a list of all the places carrying our products:
· Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company

· Foundry Provisions

· Quills Coffee

· North Mass Boulder

· Roasted in the Village

· Public Parlor House

· Provider

· Lincoln Lane

· Chronic Coffee

· Black House Cafe

· Guggman Haus

· Cafe Oztara

· Tinker Coffee

· Niyyah Coffee - multiple locations

· Hotel Intercontinental - pastries and breads
· Tinker Street (bread)



Follow us on social media - Facebook and Instagram and Twitter



Thank you all so much for your continued support and we'll see you soon!!!

Cindy

Experience culinary greatness and amazing flavors as the World Food Championships returns to Indianapolis — the world's largest Food Sport competition featuring elite chefs, home cooks, and award-winning pitmasters from across the globe battling in ten categories for $400,000+ in prizes and the co...

08/31/2026

Two school years ago, I accepted my first Carmel High School intern at our shop. She would come in before school for a few hours, 2-3 days a week. When the school year ended, we hired her full time. To watch her grow and improve in her skills week after week has been a joy to witness.

Well, in a couple of weeks, Julia is headed to France for a year! She’ll be attending an intensive pastry program and then working a 6 month internship in France. Hopefully we’ll be able to meet up with her when we’re in France in January.

Yesterday, most of the team she’s worked with the last two year met up for a farewell dinner Union 50. It was everyone else’s first time there and they enjoyed every bite!

Julia had our business tattooed to her wrist (I have very mixed feelings on this!). Three of us each write one of the words - Circle City Sweets.

Good luck Julia!!! I can’t wait to see what you do!!

08/31/2026

Super fun group for Saturday’s laminated dough class. They made plain, chocolate and ham and cheese croissants as well as kouign-amann. Smoking Goose

08/28/2026

Playing around with this beauty!! We’ll be bringing these glorious peach and almond croissant tarts to the Carmel Farmers Markets Saturday!!! $6. The are AMAZING!!!! Indiana Peach MD of course for the peaches!!!

08/24/2026

08/24/2026

Stage one of lemon cream.

08/24/2026

This week’s shop update:

Hi everyone!! Lots to tell you about this week!

First - So excited that I was selected as one of 11 Indiana chefs to compete in the Inaugural "Monumental Chef Showdown"!! This is an amazing new competition that is a fundraiser for the Paramount Schools Junior Chef Program. The competition is a series of 8 dinners/events from November through March and at each event, one chef will be eliminated. What is awesome is that you can buy tickets to the events and vote for me as your People's Choice to help me in immunity!! Of course I hope to be moving on each event to the finals based on the judges' scores, but it never hurts!!! Here is a link to the website with all the info and where to get tickets. All of the events will be held at Connor Prairie. https://www.monumentalchef.com/

Next - moving on to World Food Championships! Once again, we'll be taking to the floor of the Indiana State Fairgrounds to compete and hopefully, defend our 2025 World Dessert Title!! That means we are starting to take sponsors again for this fall's competition. For a sponsorship of $100, we'll invite you to a demo after the competition next year and do a full run through of our dish/dishes and you'll be taking all the goodies home!! Thank you to our sponsors so far for this year:
Erin Arkins
David and Megan Certo
Karen Dutcher
Judy Flannery
Karen and Denny Licht
Darren and Marianna Luddington
James and Sarah Pastrnak
Erin Powell
Sara Zunk
This year at World Foods, we'll also be participating in an event after our dessert turn in called Dessert Smash - this is an opportunity for you to come, taste close to 40 desserts and pick your favorites!! The 6th and 7th spot moving on to the final round will be selected by a people's choice. Again, I hope to make it in on the top 5 places in points, but just in case, come on out, try our dessert and give us those votes!! Here is the link for tickets! https://worldfoodchampionships.com/tickets

Carmel Farmer's Market Wow, has it even been a rough summer!! I'll take crazy hot over all of this rain!! Two Saturday's was only the 2nd time (that I can think of) in my 20 years that the market was actually closed due to weather. We've worked plenty of days in the rain, but this was just crazy! Thanks to everyone for all of their encouragement and support and to those who can make it in the rain - you rock!! The next two weekends look (at least this far out) like beautiful days!! I'm not planning on any specials this weekend as I'll be pretty booked up on some orders as well as testing for World Foods, but I'll post anything on social media if we do. Don't forget - pre-orders for Saturday are due by Wednesday at 10am.

SUPER SECRET SPECIAL FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO READ THIS!! You will be shocked by what I am about to tell you - I am going to be making a one time, off season, batch of the famous IRISHMAN CUPCAKES for a special order on Friday. No, this doesn't mean you can ask me to make them and I will. This is a ONE TIME ONLY exception. But, since I am making them, I am putting this out there - If you email my by Wednesday at 10 am, you can order some for pick up at the shop on Friday or at the Carmel Market on Saturday. $5 per cupcake. This is you ONE time to get them until next St. Patrick's Day. This one is a super hard deadline - NO EXCEPTIONS as I'm only making what we need for orders.

Classes!! We have classes for the rest of the year posted!! I might be adding a couple more. Full descriptions of all classes are on the website, but here is the full list. Just call the shop at 317-632-3644.

August
Laminated Dough– Saturday, August 29, 2:30pm – $125 - FULL

September
Laminated Dough– Wednesday, September 16, 5pm – $125
Breakfast Breads - Saturday, September 26, 2:30pm - $125 - FULL

October
Laminated Dough– Saturday, October 24 – 2:30pm – $125

November
Laminated Dough– Wednesday, November 4, 5pm – $125
Laminated Dough– Saturday, November 21 – 2:30pm – $125
Thanksgiving Pies – Take and Bake – Tuesday, November 24 – 5pm - $100

December
Laminated Dough– Saturday, December 5 or 12 TBD – 2:30pm – $125
Croquembouche – Wednesday, December 9 – 5pm - $125 FULL
French Macarons – Wednesday, December 16, 5pm - $150
Kids cookies for Santa – Saturday, December 19 – 2:30pm, $25

TRAVEL NEWS!! We are working with AMA Waterways on a Rhone River European River Cruise!! This will take place in August of 2027. We have the official flyer from AMA and it is awesome!! We have some specials running with this now!!! Roger and I will be your chef hosts and we are SO excited about this trip!! The trip will start in Arles and end is Lyon, which is my ALL TIME FAVORITE CITY IN FRANCE!!!!! If this sounds like something you might be interested in, let me know!! It is going to be AMAZING!!! I am also booking lots of other travel!! I can help you with cruises (Virgin, NCL, Viking, AMA Waterways, Royal Caribbean and more) and all-inclusive resorts. Shoot me an email to [email protected] if you are looking for a travel advisor - remember - this is a free service!!

ICE CREAM!! We've been back at making ice cream!! We currently have our "chipwich" - our amazing chocolate chip cookies sandwiched around our AMAZING vanilla bean ice cream ($6 - THEY ARE HUGE!!). We also have pints of cookies and cream and biscoff available ($12). These are only available IN the shop, not at the Carmel Market. I am going to be playing around with a fun one this week that I hope to post soon!!

Sweet friends!! If you can't make it to our shop, you can also find our pastries all around town. Here's a list of all the places carrying our products:
· Calvin Fletcher's Coffee Company
· Foundry Provisions
· Quills Coffee
· North Mass Boulder
· Roasted in the Village
· Public Parlor House
· Provider
· Lincoln Lane
· Chronic Coffee
· Black House Cafe
· Guggman Haus
· Cafe Oztara
· Tinker Coffee
· Niyyah Coffee - multiple locations
· Hotel Intercontinental - pastries and breads
· Tinker Street (bread)


Follow us on social media - Facebook and Instagram and Twitter

Thank you all so much for your continued support and we'll see you soon!!!
Cindy

Cindy Hawkins
Pastry Chef / Owner
Circle City Sweets

1220 Waterway Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46202

317-632-3644

Experience culinary greatness and amazing flavors as the World Food Championships returns to Indianapolis — the world's largest Food Sport competition featuring elite chefs, home cooks, and award-winning pitmasters from across the globe battling in ten categories for $400,000+ in prizes and the co...

08/22/2026

Fabulous French macaron class today!! What a fun group!!!! They made birthday cake, vanilla, red velvet, caramel, pistachio and chocolate covered strawberry. All of them look amazing!! Great big thanks to Tanya Kessenich Smith for the assist in teaching today!!!!

08/21/2026

One of my favorite things on Fridays is mixing the baguette dough for the bread team. I just love the preferment!! Look at that jiggle!!