Nibbles + Bites

DINE+WINE | nibbles + bites Save Room for Dessert Jily’s Sweet Shoppe encourages patrons to spread kindness

Patrons love the dessert in a jar concept at Jily’s Sweet Shoppe.

by Karel Bond Lucander | photography by Jamie Cowles

Take cobbler, pie or cake, layer it in a single-serve glass jar and you have Jily’s Jars, a special layered dessert sensation. “Especially with COVID, it’s been the perfect dessert,” Jil Micallef, owner of Jily’s Sweet Shoppe and Davidson resident, says. “In a jar, everybody can have what they want.” The menu varies and is seasonal but may include moist and freshly made carrot cake, cherry or blueberry cheesecake, key lime pie, “dirt dessert” (Oreos and pudding) or any other tasty concoction this talented baker dreams up. If you haven’t tried them yet, do yourself a favor and leave room for dessert tonight. Jily’s Sweet Shoppe, home of Jily’s Jars, is located at 316 South Main Street in Davidson. This little take-out dessertery, which opened June 9, is in the former Wells Fargo drive-thru building. So, you can park nearby, order your treats to take home or picnic outside and enjoy them. “I’m overjoyed at the opportunity to have this temporary space,” Micallef says. After connecting with the property owner and bringing him desserts to sample, he said he believed in her and her products and she signed a lease. “Most people are happy that something is there, and now I hope people are happy that Jily’s is there!” she says.

Left to right: Owner Jil Micallef and candy treats available for purchase at the shoppe.

the fAll pArty thAt stArted it All

A registered nurse, Micallef says her love of baking grew as she and husband, Brad, expanded their family.

“We began hosting a fall party 14 years ago, the year our daughter, Calian, started kindergarten,” she says. “It was a way to get to know her classmates and their parents.” Micallef finessed her baking skills to make treats for an event that eventually expanded to 110 people. Guests told her she should be selling them. “I worked as a full-time nurse at the time, and I couldn’t decorate a cake,” she says. Her Jily’s Jars evolved as a fun way to make a cake that she didn’t have to decorate but still looked visually appealing.

“With the layered Jily’s Jars you get the flavor and the delicious dessert and it’s okay that it’s not put together perfectly,” she says.

Now they are her signature treat. With many options available, her Banana Pudding is available only at The Crazy Pig barbeque restaurant in Davidson.

“The owners, Eileen and Rob, are wonderful people and have been just tremendous in supporting Jily’s,” she says. “So that is theirs exclusively.”

Micallef also has cookies, including her in-demand snickerdoodle, and will have her popular candied pineapple and cherry fruit cake during the holidays.

vision to hire people with disABilities

Jil hopes to eventually have a full retail bakery and hire staff members with disabilities. She is inspired by her Uncle Bob, who was born with cerebral palsy, and her son, Zade, who has high-functioning Asperger syndrome but is also gifted.

“We can all learn by interacting with people who may do things a little differently,” she says.

“shAre kindness”

Micallef also wants her sweet shoppe to not only satisfy your sweet tooth but also warm your heart. She has a sign in her window, “Share Kindness,” and provides paper and markers so patrons can spread their own positive messages.

“Everyone can be kind, and everyone can make a difference,” she says.

Life isn’t always easy. But like a kind word or gesture, her special treats can make someone’s day a little sweeter.

When she is not baking or running her business, she enjoys spending time with her family, including their miniature dachshund, Max, and Newfoundland-Poodle mix puppy, Waffles.

Jily’s Sweet Shoppe

316 S. Main St., Davidson | 704.750.0525 Hours: Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sat. from 4-9 p.m. www.jilys.co