Community Corner
Sneaky Pete's Sweets Hides Out in Batavia Bar
Montgomery resident Pete Sellen is baking up sweet things along the Fox River in Batavia.
Sneaky Pete's Sweets is staying true to its name.
With a move to Batavia, the primarily online sweets shop sneaked into Bulldog Lounge over the weekend and left hardly a crumb on the floor.
It is owner Pete Sellen's plan to set up shop in the lounge from 6 a.m. to noon every Saturday and Sunday.
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Sellen, of Montgomery, started selling sweets—everything from cookies to brownies to date nut bread—about 10 years ago out of his home. He then went online a year ago, and now, with a little help from his friends, is open to the public at 1 E. Wilson St. at Route 25.
Sellen, 52, went from working in construction to teaching at East Aurora High School to wearing an apron. After teaching special education for over a decade, Sellen wanted to follow the old cliche: If you do what you love, you'll never work another day in your life.
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It slowly grew over the years from baking holiday trays to managing online orders. Sellen says he is "putting his toe in the water" by trying a part-time storefront. It works out well since he is friends with the owner of The RendezVu Restaurant downstairs from Bulldog Lounge at 1 E. Wilson St.
Sellen says he learned the secrets of baking from his 80-year-old mother, who lives in Oswego (and takes the train everyday to work in Chicago).
"My mom taught me how to bake," Sellen said. "She's my rock."
He added that his brother-in-law, who is a chef, has also given him a few tricks of the trade.
Sellen's brownies are his specialty, sold by the dozen in a variety of flavors. He also sells popcorn balls, and three varieties of oatmeal cookies.
For now, Sellen will just keep weekend hours at Bulldog Lounge. Once word of his mouth-watering brownies gets out, it won't be long before Sneaky Pete's Sweets comes out of obscurity. After all, Sellen disclosed that "Sneaky Pete's" is a nickname that he earned while playing college football, due to an impressive amount of fumble recoveries.
Visit Sneaky Pete's Sweets at 1 E. Wilson St. in Batavia on the weekends, on Facebook or online anytime.
