Although its recent relocation was only next door, it’s a major move for Angelic Desserts Bakery & Cafe, which nearly tripled its space.

With its soft opening on Oct. 2, the 7-year-old local business significantly expanded its menu, kitchen, dining area and outdoor seating in the Galleria Shoppes at Vanderbilt on the northwest corner of Airport-Pulling and Vanderbilt Beach roads in North Naples. Co-owners Marina Nikolic and Russ Underwood moved Angelic Desserts from its longtime 1,200-square-foot unit into the 3,200-square-foot space previously home to Nawty Hogg Backyard BBQ and Pei Wei Asian Bistro at 2355 Vanderbilt Beach Road, Suite 116.

Angelic Desserts’ owners added a second walk-in freezer and greatly expanded the kitchen’s prep area by moving walls into the large dining area that had been used by Nawty Hogg and Pei Wei. The reduction in public space still leaves the new cafe with 40 seats inside and another 40-plus outdoors, a sizeable increase from its initial location of only eight seats indoors and 16 outdoors. To handle the additional guests, the new cafe added many more employees and a couple more ordering stations.

“The wait time from walking in the door to items on the table is extremely short for an establishment that makes everything scratch to order,” Underwood said. “We’re excited for what our new location will bring.”

The significant expansion of the kitchen area will allow Angelic Desserts to produce bread, pastries, desserts and other food items for area hotels and restaurants that have been requesting them for years. The kitchen expansion also gives expert baker Nikolic the opportunity to create additional sweet treats and savory items such as personal pizzas and European sandwiches and soups reminiscent of her native Serbia.

While cases in the artisan bakery feature scratch-made cakes, cupcakes, pastries, pies and tarts, the cafe’s menu offers many more sweet and savory items. Along with breakfast items, sandwiches, soups and salads, entrees include beef stroganoff and house-made chicken pot pies. Beverages include organic coffee and tea drinks, hot chocolate, frozen lemonade and smoothies.

“As for the menu, we’ve added quite a bit — including specialty omelets, waffles, multiple salads, an authentic Balkan hamburger and five different personal pizzas,’ Underwood said. “We plan to roll out more breakfast items soon such as crepes, pancakes and French toast, but with a little Euro twist.”

Always a local spot for gluten-free and vegan baked goods, Angelic Dessert plans to add more sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan items, and possibly even wine tastings. “We’re also waiting on our wine license,” Underwood said. “We’re excited to offer a few lesser-known selections, as well as some of the more popular wines.”

Its new corner end unit also provides more visibility with a tower feature that enables signage on two sides. Upon entering, one of the first things patrons see on the opposite wall are a huge pair of angel wings — a symbol for Angela, the owners’ daughter and cafe namesake, who died of cystic fibrosis at the age of 17 shortly before their first shop opened. Not only are angel wings part of the venue’s logo and décor, but the sale of special heart-shaped Angela’s cookies benefits and raises awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a national nonprofit organization established to find a cure for the genetic lung disorder.

The grand opening celebration for the new Angelic Desserts will be Oct. 26. “Expect to enjoy live music, great desserts and a taste of what we offer,” Underwood said.

More dining options

In addition to an expanded Angelic Desserts Bakey & Cafe, the Shoppes at Vanderbilt has more food-and-beverage options in the works, although opening dates are not available yet.

Coming to Angelic Desserts’ original space in Suite 120 will be Boards & Bubbles, a shop specializing in charcuterie boards, grazing tables and festive platters for event setup and delivery. New dining spots coming to that corner include Aufieri & Martinez Steakhouse in Suite 200, Crazy King Burrito in Suite 100 and Tasia’s Cafe in Suite 156 — which most recently was home to Poached breakfast-lunch cafe.

These newcomers will join Angelic Desserts and a foodie lineup that already includes The Cave Bistro, Cosmic Kava, Crave Cookies, Flaco’s Mexican restaurant, Imperio Taqueria, Mister O1 Pizza, Mojo Thai & Sushi, Momo Tea Bar, Mystic Lobster Rolls, Nautical Bowls, Neighborhood Organics, Ninja Japanese Steakhouse, Poke Mahi, Primo Hoagies, Starbucks, Sub Zero Ice Cream, Tableside Restaurant and Trattoria Abruzzo.

TOP: A red velvet cupcake from Angelic Bakery.

Photos by Liz Gorman