Glazed Donuts to Take Over Leo & Co. Space in Essex

The number of years Leo & Co. has occupied its current suite in the Essex Experience stands at two, a span that ends on November 13 when the doors close for the final time. That date marks the conclusion of Kayla Silver’s daytime café and market, which opened in June 2024. The space at 21 Essex Way will immediately transition to Glazed Café, a new venture from local doughnut makers Glazed Donuts.

Rachel Lee, 36, co-owner of Glazed Donuts, said she and her husband Jordan hope to launch the new café in early December. During the interim period, the business will not have regular front-of-house service for doughnuts. Instead, customers must place orders via online preorder to pick up their items. Lee stated that the new location will house the Lees’ existing doughnut bakery while expanding the menu to include hot breakfast burritos, sandwiches, and a specific doughnut sandwich.

The new menu will also feature lunch sandwiches, coffee drinks, smoothies, and dirty sodas. These beverages will be made with soda, syrups, and cream. To maintain continuity, Glazed Café will keep some Leo & Co. staff on the payroll. These employees will continue to bake popular items from the previous menu, specifically the vegan blueberry muffin, chocolate-tahini cookies, and brown butter-chocolate chip cookies.

Kayla Silver, 33, opened Leo & Co. in the same building as her first business, Salt & Bubbles Wine Bar and Market, which she launched in 2021. Silver confirmed that she has listed Salt & Bubbles for sale and is currently negotiating with prospective buyers. The space previously occupied by Leo & Co. was home to Sweet Clover Market for 17 years before Silver took it over.

Silver described the decisions to close the café and put her wine shop on the market as difficult. She noted that while she loves her work, the hours required no longer fit her current life circumstances. “I took stock of where I’m at in my life, and it’s not that I don’t love what I do,” Silver said. “But I’m also putting in more hours than a mother with an eight-month-old is interested in putting in.”

Lee said the new management team understands that Leo & Co. served as a third space for the local community. The Lees plan to reduce the size of the local food product market that Leo & Co. previously offered. They will add a play area for children and introduce a secret pizza menu on weekends. The owners hope to offer same-day online ordering and DoorDash delivery for doughnuts in early 2027.