Pastries and dessert for a good cause

Sabrina’s Café on South Street will celebrate Women’s History Month with pastries and desserts from some of South Philly’s finest female pastry chefs

The 22-year-old breakfast and lunch shop at 2101 South St. will offer dessert for the first time in March as owners Robert and Raquel De Abreu have initiated a charitable drive while highlighting the area’s best female pastry chefs. 

The De Abreus have partnered with James Beard-nominated Tova du Plessis of Essen Bakery (1437 E. Passyunk Ave.), South Philly award-winning pastry chef Monica Glass, Fiore Fine Foods (757 S. Front St.) co-owner and pastry chef Justine MacNeil, Kouklet Brazilian Bakehouse (1647 E. Passyunk Ave.) owner Mardhory Santos-Cepeda and Vanilya Bakery (1611 E. Passyunk Ave.) owner Bonnie Sarana to provide various pastries and desserts to the restaurant throughout March, with each woman designated for a specific weekend through the end of the month.

Proceeds from the initiative will benefit Project Home’s Women of Change, a safe haven residence for women.

“So many of our customers come in for our gigantic, sweet, indulgent breakfast and brunch items — it’s one thing that our guests associate with Sabrina’s — but we don’t currently have desserts on the menu,” said Robert De Abreu. “We’ve been focused on adding dessert to our menu recently, and with Women’s History Month approaching, we decided this would be a wonderful way to celebrate the women of our city while also giving our guests something new, exciting and delicious to enjoy while joining us for weekend brunch. We’re looking very forward to working alongside such talented women, and we’re grateful for their participation.”

MacNeil kicked off the series on March 3 with a gelato flavor made exclusively for Sabrina’s: Stuffed French Toast with banana cream cheese filling. Glass will follow on March 10 with gluten-free blueberry lavender scones and gluten-free chocolate chip banana bread; Santos-Cepeda will be providing her Brazilian cream-filled doughnuts called “Sonhos” (which translates to “dreams” in Portuguese) beginning March 17; du Plessis will be showcasing her famous Chocolate Halva Babka on March 24; and Sarana will feature her bagels as well as a Coconut Revani with kaymak and pistachio, coconut semolina cakes soaked in an orange blossom syrup and topped with clotted cream and pistachios, on March 31., which will be offered into the beginning of April.

For more information, visit http://sabrinascafe.com.