Sweet Moon Cafe & Bakery Expands to Wilmette with Authentic Russian Delights

The well-loved Ravenswood bakery, recognized for its “Medovik” or Russian honey cake, has made its way to Wilmette. Sweet Moon Cafe & Bakery is set at 1222 Washington Court, directly opposite the village’s Metra station. This bakery stands out with its global fusion-style baked goods.

Aigerim Mambetova, the owner, moved to the United States from Kyrgyzstan in 2012, together with her husband Marlen Alchinov and niece, Zhannat Raiymbek Kyzy, who manages both venues. The bakery is famed for its Russian dessert, featuring thin, cookie-like layers filled with tangy sour cream and honey.

Mambetova shared why they opened the original Sweet Moon in Chicago. “Everything was too sweet and too chemical,” she disclosed. Initially baking at home for personal enjoyment, her cakes gained popularity among friends and eventually led to selling them. Earlier this month, the Ravenswood location celebrated its fifth anniversary.

This new Wilmette location features a diverse menu of Eastern European, Slavic, and American pastries and desserts, alongside various breakfast and lunch offerings. Everything on display is homemade. Bakers start their day at midnight, working until 7 a.m. when they distribute the freshly made goods to both storefronts.

Mambetova and her husband worked alone in the beginning. They handled all baking from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. With an expanded team, she now focuses more on refining recipes and other management tasks. “The menu took approximately three years to develop,” she mentioned.

Without formal pastry training, Mambetova learned from YouTube and social media to craft classic recipes like syrniki, a cheesy Eastern European pancake. “I never had a professional chef in my kitchen, so everything here I made,” she said.

Sweet Moon’s Kiev cake, akin to the Kyiv cake, features layers of hazelnut or cashew meringue, filled with chocolate and vanilla buttercream. Manager Raiymbek Kyzy noted her aunt’s initial dislike for baking. Her passion grew from a lack of local pastries that suited her taste.

A standout drink is their sea buckthorn tea, using berries from Kyrgyzstan’s Lake Issyk-Kul. The duo is thrilled to bring Sweet Moon to the North Shore, offering Wilmette residents a flavor of their homeland. “The community support surprised us,” explained Raiymbek Kyzy. In contrast to their first location, Wilmette customers engage more personally.

Having opened recently, Sweet Moon aims to host a launch party in the coming month. The bakery operates from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Tuesdays when it is closed. Pastries, coffee, teas, and other menu items are served until closing.