“I wanted to make things that were safe for people especially at events, farmers markets, pop-ups, anything like that,” Fleming said. “I have multiple food allergies and everyone in my family does as well.”
Coming full circle
Over the summer, Fleming was an outdoor vendor at 2nd Street Market and the Oakwood Farmers Market. Fleming went to 2nd Street Market as a kid looking for allergy-safe food. She recalled being so excited to be able to eat a cinnamon roll or cupcake. Her excitement has come full circle since she provides fun treats for kids with food allergies.
Monster Baby Donuts specializes in mini donuts, but also offers mini muffins, cookies and fudge. Popular donut flavors include Orange Cranberry, Second Breakfast (a chocolate chip donut with a maple glaze), Apple Pie and Cookie Monster.
Credit: Tyler Jamison
Credit: Tyler Jamison
Fleming and her husband moved from Dayton to Columbus last year to be closer to their full-time jobs, but always continued to do pop-ups in the Dayton area.
“I grew up in Dayton,” Fleming said. “This is my home, so I still wanted to be part of it.”
Full-time pursuit
About a month ago, Fleming was able to leave her job as a health and safety specialist for a manufacturing company to pursue Monster Baby Donuts full-time. She said she enjoyed her job, but always missed experimenting in the kitchen.
Her trajectory in baking allergy-safe food is not only derived from personal experience. While she was in school, she worked at Sinfully Gluten-Free, which once had a brick-and-mortar in Centerville, and Chubby Bunny Bakery in Hamilton.
Opening her own bakery has been a dream she’s had since around 2018 when she and her mom went to a music festival and couldn’t find any vendors with food they could eat.
With the new space, Fleming plans to expand the menu and continue to introduce unique flavors.
If you’re wondering where the name of the business comes from, it is named after her 3-year-old redtick hound, Daisy, which she and her husband often refer to as “Monster Baby.”
Monster Baby Donuts is holding a grand opening at East Market on Friday, Oct. 27. The bakery will be open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Monster Baby Donuts are currently available at Billie Gold Bubble Tea Lounge, 732 Watervliet Ave. in Dayton.
For more information, visit the bakery’s Facebook or Instagram pages.
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