EAT LIKE A LOCAL
By Kelsey Butler
taste of eden coffee
house and bakery is on
track to open its doors on Noble Street
in Anniston. Karla Eden and her husband
Leo are hoping to open the veteran-
owned and operated eatery at 10th and
Noble this spring.
The couple has been operating as a legal
business out of their home for two years. “I
think this is one of the first business of its
kind around here,” Karla says. Taste of Eden
specializes in custom cakes, cupcakes, and
more. “We do more themed cakes, but bridal
cakes have taken off this year.” Taste of Eden was born when Karla started
baking cookies, breads, and brownies to
send to Leo, now retired Army, while he
was deployed. Karla and Leo have three
daughters (14, 12, and 6 years old) and Karla
says Taste of Eden is now a family business.
“It’s not about learning how to bake. It’s
about learning how to work,” she says.
Karla and Leo have been working on
preparing the building on Noble Street for
Taste of Eden to move in for about a year. “I
can’t wait to have our kitchen back,” says Leo.
“Yeah, we don’t have a kitchen at home, we
have a bakery,” Karla added. Leo is currently in the home stretch of
completing culinary school at Culinard, and
he will bring his cooking skills to Taste of
Eden to offer a full breakfast and smaller
plates for lunch and dinner. Karla and Leo’s
business partner and culinary chef, Brandon
12
January 2018
INSIGHT