Coffee, cakes and cookies crafted with love

Summer just got a little sweeter with cakes, cookies and pastries from Honey Deer Coffee & Pastries in Avon. Whether you are looking for a sweet treat, a cup of mocha, macchiato or matcha latte, satisfy everyone’s cravings in the group with a stop at the Christie Lodge to this quaint little shop that creates an amazing array of handcrafted goods.

Honey Deer LLC was established in 2020 by Natalia Kavanaugh. The Russian native moved to the United States after teaching Russian language and Russian literature in her home country for 21 years.

“My English language skills were not good enough to teach, so I decided to do something with my hands and be creative,” Kavanaugh said.

But she also had an artistic background, graduating from art school in Russia which helped her transition into the artistry of baking. 

“When I’m decorating cakes, I like to add things like flowers or something decorative and utilize my painting and sculpture skills,” Kavanaugh said.

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In the early days, she started out baking cookies and would study and watch videos to learn all she could to improve her craft. She eventually started working in various restaurants, hotels, bakeries and other hospitality establishments until she was finally ready to go out on her own.

“After lots of practice, I thought I should open my own shop because I love doing this and I know what I can do for others,” Kavanaugh said.

She likes to make traditional European pastries like croissants and scones but also blends in eastern European influences.

“I have honey layer cake and many people from Bulgaria and the Czech Republic will try it and say, ‘Oh, we know this pastry,’ and it’s familiar to them,” Kavanaugh said, and also added, “and of course I make blueberry muffins and cinnamon or pecan caramel rolls, all the Americans like those.”

Kavanaugh believes in using quality ingredients.

“I think that is very important. My reputation is based on using only high-quality ingredients because I think about my health, my body, and I think about how and what I’d want to eat and I want to give that to the public, I only want to make the best for people,” Kavanaugh said.

Even though the size of her shop is small, Kavanaugh can churn out quite a variety of items from early morning until early afternoon (typical hours at Honey Deer Café are from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily). Breakfast sandwiches, burritos, quiche and yogurt parfaits supplement the pastries on the menu.

If you are planning a special event like a birthday, anniversary or wedding, Kavanaugh offers catering services. Do your out-of-town wedding guests need a cookie box waiting for them when they arrive in their hotel room? Need a cake for a milestone birthday? Or how about a pie for the Fourth of July picnic? Work with Kavanaugh to come up with a dream creation for any occasion.

If coffee is your thing, Kavanaugh understands and she takes her coffee seriously.

“We’re looking for the best coffee, and I really love the Italian brand, Lavazza,” Kavanaugh said. “I had a man in here who bought about five cups of coffee for his group and he said they had been to several other coffee shops in the area and this was the best.”

Tea is very special to Kavanaugh, too.

“In Russia, we have a very popular tea culture, we don’t use tea in bags because it’s not natural. We brew leaves in a real teapot and brew tea,” Kavanaugh said. “I was so surprised when I came here and saw tea bags.”