Sugar Hive Is Baking Nostalgia

Julie Neel and Brooke Kichurchak did their homework before creating one of their best-selling desserts. As owners of Sugar Hive Baking Co., the duo wanted some nostalgia with their peanut butter squares ($4), so they enlisted Neel’s mother-in-law to secure the recipe from a Strongsville High School cafeteria worker. Made with peanut butter, brown sugar and powdered sugar and topped with a layer of semisweet chocolate, the decadent bar gives customers a taste of their school glory days. “A woman came in and took a bite and said, ‘Oh my God, I’m in high school again!’ ” says Kichurchak. The Mapleside Farms confectionery, which also offers massive oatmeal cookies, inventive cupcakes and apple fritters, usually sells out of the authentic cafeteria-style treats each day. “They’re kind of like a giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup,” she says, “but better.” 294 Pearl Road, Brunswick, 330-225-4483, sugarhivebaking.com