Owned by Stephanie Lenorovitz and her husband, pastry chef Justin, Spontaneous Confections was founded in April 2024 and recently opened a brick-and-mortar space inside the Capitola Mall.
They feature unique French-leaning pastries that combine worldly inspiration with Justin’s own creative instincts and talents.
Born in France, Stephanie was living in San Francisco, working in the tech industry, when she met Justin, who had been learning to cook pastries as a hobby but with growing passion. He followed that and kept improving, taking a cake decorating class and then an intense pastry course in France.
His boosted baking game combined with Stephanie’s complementary behind-the-scenes skillset in marketing, graphic design and event planning gave them the confidence to start Spontaneous Confections.
Highlighted menu items are an edible gold-dusted fudge brownie with honey-lavender ganache and entremets, a layered mousse dessert with seasonal options like chocolate with blood orange gelee and spiced cake.
The Dubai bars also headline with butter-roasted phyllo dough, tahini and pistachio cream, available in milk and dark chocolate with hazelnut and salted caramel crunch versions. Another favorite is the Santa Cruz-themed smooth and creamy cheesecake, riding a surfboard-shaped crust with seasonal flavors like chocolate cherry and pumpkin.
Tell me more about Justin’s story.
STEPHANIE LENOROVITZ: He is both naturally talented and incredibly dedicated to his craft of being a pastry chef. He consistently comes up with not only visually appealing products, but also ones that are unique, creative and delicious. He wants to share the joy he has while making his pastries with others and let them experience the love he puts into his desserts. He really is an artist working through the medium of pastry, and he pours his heart into everything he does.
How has business been going?
We love our Capitola Mall location because both management and other business have been very welcoming, and the community has really come out to support us as well. Transitioning to brick-and-mortar has been a fun journey. It’s been inspiring to transform our own space and have a permanent spot where our customers can always find us. It’s been nice having business be less nomadic, and we look forward to welcoming both current and new customers to let them try our food. And stay tuned, because we have many fun future events planned.
1855 41st Ave. (Capitola Mall Food Court), Capitola, 831-480-5166; spontaneousconfections.com
