With the opening of her sixth business under the Daniella’s brand, Daniella Mammola, owner of North Shore Hospitality Group, is bringing an extravagant dose of sweetness to the North Shore. The mid-September opening of Daniella’s Dolce in Danvers next door to Daniella’s Cafe gave the North Shore not just a full-service Italian bakery, but a destination.
A stunning pink-and-white balloon installation greets me on my way inside and extends to cover part of the shop’s ceiling. The cloud-like work of art interspersed with silk flowers was created by Opal Lane Event Styling & Design and will remain as an evolving seasonal installation.
The palette of glossy white, pink, and black is playful and elegant, and banquettes and French bistro-style seating invite guests to linger. “It’s very European inspired. We really took our inspiration from cafés in Venice and Paris and created a place where you could grab a croissant or grab a coffee and just sit. It’s been amazing to see how many people have come together from the community to meet here in just the short time that we’ve been open,” says Mammola.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
The Pastry Case
The edible works of art fill the cases and counters lining the length of the shop. Behind the counter, Mammola is hands-on, greeting and helping customers. Her attentive team enthusiastically helps me choose items to sample from the bakery’s vast array of pastries. Choices include ricotta pie, several types of cannoli, éclairs, tiramisu, lobster tails, limoncello cake, bomboloni, croissants, muffins, specialty cupcakes, and much more. The cookie selection includes the traditional anisette, chocolate crinkle, several types of biscotti, chocolate chip, and French macarons.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
The lobster tail is flaky, light, and lemony, the toffee cake is decadent with rich, creamy layers and crunchy textures, and the Oreo cannoli is a standout with its crispy shell and Oreo-infused ricotta filling. New items and variations are constantly being added, such as cinnamon rolls on the weekend.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
“Customers come in for the things that they’re used to seeing in the pastry cases at the cafe, and then they are wowed by all the extras and all the additional offerings that we have. So, it’s been fun to watch them come in for the cannoli, but leave with a bomboloni,” says Mammola.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
Gelattes and Espresso Creations
Customers are flocking to the shop for one of the most decadent offering on the extensive beverage menu: the gelatte, a handcrafted latte made with real espresso and gelato. A salted caramel gelatte starts with caramello espresso, adds caramel gelato, and is topped with drizzles of sea salt and caramel. Other gelattes include the Nutella, cannoli, pistachio, Dubai chocolate, and cookies and cream. The pastry chefs make all the sauces and syrups that can be added to any of the hot or cold drinks.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
A Bakery Built for the Community
The Daniella’s Dolce concept comes from Mammola’s commitment to family and community. “We have really been building the Daniella’s brand and focusing on expanding it, which is personal for me. We’re just building upon it and doing things that we’re passionate about and love, but also where there’s a need. In the Danvers-Peabody-Beverly area, we do not have a proper Italian bakery. So, for us, it was important to bring that into the community,” says Mammola.
Having outgrown the Daniella’s Café space, Mammola undertook an expansion project that added kitchen space to the café and transformed the building next door into a bakery retail space and café extension.
With the expansion, head pastry chef Khrystyna Biliavska now leads a team of two bakers and two production staff to create all the items for the bakery. The bakery team produces most of the desserts served at the group’s restaurants.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
Custom Cakes, Cannoli Service, and Holiday Orders
The expanded bakery will also meet growing demand for custom cakes for events, celebrations, and weddings, along with other innovative catering offerings. “People are really seeing us and buying our custom cakes and requesting more of us. We do concierge cannoli service for private events, where it’s like a concession box that our staff wears, dressed in a tuxedo, and they custom-fill cannoli during a wedding or for corporate events,” details Mammola.
If customers can take their eyes off the cannoli and cakes, they can explore the shop’s retail gift area lined with teapots and tea sets, serving trays, and bowls, candles, glassware, frames, and more. “It’s a one-stop shop for someone who is planning something special or heading to someone’s home to bring a housewarming present. You could walk in and get a cake that is already pre-made in the case, have it wrapped in a beautiful box with a gorgeous ribbon, get a card for whatever the occasion is, candles for that cake, and then perhaps a little hostess gift to take with you as well,” says Mammola.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
The bakery is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For the upcoming holiday season, they will be taking advance orders for fruit pies, cheesecakes, Yule logs, traditional holiday pastries, and much more.
“I don’t typically eat a lot of sweets, but having this bakery has changed that. We have a crème brulée bomboloni which is filled with vanilla cream, and then it’s a hard kind of sugar shell on the top, which is just the right combination. The crunch and creaminess of the donut is my favorite thing right now,” says Mammola.
Daniella’s Dolce, Danvers | Photograph by Mark Manne
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