The original attraction to the baked goods put out by Tulip Cafe was a particular Nutella cookie. Nutella-anything is a pretty good idea, but its cookies happened to be awfully pretty too. Fancy and tasty can be an uncommon combo.
That said, Tulip has other wares that are distracting, not so much in terms of looks, but in terms of deliciousness. Its bread, in fact, is distracting enough to earn the MVP award for the day. Even though it has no Nutella, and isn’t nearly as cute.
What Tulip’s loaves of bread do have is a cheese filling, lots of cheese filling. It’s not the sort of cheese bread where you have to take a leap of faith that cheese is in the ingredients, instead, there’s a tender bread-y shell wrapped around every bit as much cheese as you might find in a grilled cheese sandwich. Except inside this bread, you’ll find something more on the lines of a feta cheese: pale, briny, substantial. The loaf is probably for sharing, but it could be lunch or breakfast. Or both.
Now about that Nutella cookie: charming. You can tell from the outside that it’s loaded with Nutella, as the cookie is scored to reveal a glimpse of the interior. The mildly sweet, soft cookie gives way to a filling that is pure sugary chocolate goodness. It, too, could be lunch (for hedonists), but it could also be dessert for after eating a loaf of bread.
For future stalking purposes, a request for the operation’s business card yielded not one, but two cards: one for Tulip, and one for a joint called Espresso Air in Westerville. It turns out that the two operations are joined at the hip. You can find Tulip’s baked goods at festivals and markets, and you can also find them at the Westerville coffee shop, which offers a bevy of beverages along with a big selection of Turkish treats, including lots of baklava. You can find the latter at 25 N. State St.