New Downtown State College Cafe Hits the Sweet Spot

Strolling through Downtown State College, you will find an abundance of restaurants dedicated to titillating your savory taste buds, but not too many places dedicated to satiating your sweet spot.

Dulce Luca Café, a new bakery and coffee shop at 216 E. Calder Way, opened in late March ready to enter the oft overlooked niche. The cafe, located in an underground nook of Calder Way, is run by Eman Ahmed and her husband, local entrepreneur Hitham Hiyajneh, owner of Yallah Taco, Underground Burgers and Crepes and Pita Cabana. 

Dulce Luca offers a wide variety of freshly made goodies and beverages, from the bakery standard chocolate chip cookie to the more unique snickerdoodles cookie with cream cheese topping. Other delights featured are classic and pistachio versions of tiramisu, blueberry lemon cheesecake and a crookie, a fun croissant/chocolate chip cookie hybrid. 

Lattes, Turkish coffee, and even karak chai, a tea originating in India, are some of the beverage options available to pair with your dessert. And just in time for beating the summer heat, Dulce Luca offers homemade iced teas and aqua frescas in varieties such as mango, pineapple and watermelon. 

Comfortable couches and plenty of other seating offer a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy your sweet treats. Ahmed designed the space herself using various hues of her favorite color purple as a motif. The cafe also offers free WiFi and plenty of board games to enjoy. The result is a welcoming space mixed with the pristine crispness of an Apple Store, and it hasn’t been lost on customers. 

“One woman told me that it’s cozy and feels like I’m sitting with my friends at home,” said Ahmed.  

And while she now starts her days prepping and baking in the early morning, Ahmed did not see a future in baking when she was training to become a dentist in her native Egypt.  

“Just a hobby at home,” she said. “(I had) nothing professional in mind.” 

In fact, her venture into baking started because of her oldest son’s interest in swimming and a lack of snack options. 

“I used to make him healthy protein bars because most of what I found in the market was not tasty” she said. 

Ahmed’s baking curiosity especially piqued a few years ago during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many people social distancing at home, Ahmed found herself emerged in the world of Tik Tok. She would watch clips of viral recipes, read cookbooks and put her own spin on things such as homemade ice cream and petit fours to the delight of her family, especially Hiyajneh.

“My husband came to me one day and said ‘You’ve got a talent and you’ve got to use it.’” 

As luck would have it, a space opened up right next door to Hiyajneh’s Underground Burgers where Moge Tee was previously located.

Ahmed’s husband knew it was a sign. “He said ‘Eman, we need to make coffeeshop.’’’ 

When it came to naming the shop, Ahmed got inspiration from the 2021 Pixar film “Luca,” a favorite to watch with her youngest son and husband. 

As inspiration for some of her more unique desserts, Ahmed turned to her native Egypt when creating the mango cake.

“As (an) Egyptian I love mangoes,” she said. “It’s one of the best sellers here.”

Another dessert that has an international appeal is tres leche cake, a widely popular Latin American treat that is offered in either strawberry or pistachio. Ahmed serves the cake with a side of the milk concoction that the cake normally sits in. 

Ahmed also plans on having seasonal delicacies and will soon offer touchscreen ordering. And while plans for the near future include being at this year’s Sips and Sounds Downtown food and drink festival on June 28, Ahmed doesn’t plan on expanding to the online marketplace right now and is happy serving the local community. 

“We want to be one of the best dessert shops here in State College,” she said. 

Dulce Luca Café is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.