Here's a guide to Downtown Sanford's hidden culinary gems

This article was written for our sponsor, Downtown Sanford, Inc.

The Triangle region is known for being a food lovers' paradise, but it's not just Raleigh and Durham that boast downtown corridors that feature unique restaurants and flavors. Cities like Sanford are also bursting with culinary gems.

Downtown Sanford has more than a dozen businesses dedicated to appealing to your taste buds. Places like Sandra's Bakery offer sweet treats in a historic building, while meat lovers can grab dinner at the Flame Steakhouse.

"I opened the bakery in 1999," said Sandra Duty, owner and namesake of Sandra's Bakery. "Baking was more of a hobby at first. My mother decorated cakes and I cooked all the time at home. I heard the bakery was for sale and I went the very next day to talk to the owner."

The 4.5 star-reviewed bakery offers an assortment of made-from-scratch goods such as donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls and special order cakes. Duty said her most popular bakery item is the plain, glazed donut followed by the chocolate or cream cheese covered donut. During the holidays, pies are especially in demand.

Duty said she couldn't do what she does without the help of her incredible staff and the receptive Sanford community.

Originally built as a bakery in 1948, Duty said many customers come in with stories of their childhoods. She said over the years she's had the opportunity to move locations, but she refuses — there's just too much meaningful history in the corner bakery on Wicker Street.

While Duty's team spends most of her days waking up early to mix up batches of sugar and flour, if she gets the chance to grab a bite to eat for lunch or dinner, she recommends Fresh Choice Cafe for sandwiches and Yarborough's Homemade Ice Cream & Grill for ice cream and hamburgers.

"And Mrs. Lacy's — this is one of the more popular places that I try to send people that come downtown who ask me where they can eat lunch," said Duty.

Mrs. Lacy's Magnolia House Tea Room has been serving Sanford and the surrounding area for more than 20 years and has generated a huge following. A popular hosting spot, it's often booked for bridal showers, debutante affairs and other celebrations.

"Named after my grandmother, Mrs. Lacy Jones Coggins, who was one of eight children born in Apex and married Hurley Dolphus Coggins from Tramway, North Carolina. She had 15 children, nine of which are still living," writes owner Faye Shulz on the restaurant's website. "The Tea Room is a charming Victorian two-story house built in 1902. It first opened for lunch on Dec. 1, 1995. The menu consists of homemade salads, quiches, specialty sandwiches, teas, coffee, homemade desserts and a charming atmosphere of the delightful South."

Cafe 121 is another downtown Sanford staple with a loyal customer base. Led by Chef Gregg Hamm, the restaurant serves American food in a vintage atmosphere with "menu items that offer unique takes on common dishes" as one Google reviewer put it.

If you're looking to cleanse your palate after dinner or just satiate your sweet tooth, the Chocolate Cellar Shop is unlike anything you'll find elsewhere in the Triangle. Founded by Laura Phelps and her daughter Carol, the shop pays homage to their love of flavor and attention to detail. As a student, Carol spent a summer in France and was inspired by the chocolatiers she discovered while abroad.

"Central is the idea that the enjoyment of chocolate should be an experience involving all the senses. Fine chocolates are not made by adding certain ingredients together in the right proportions. It is art and it is passion. It is a belief in the love of chocolate and the pleasure it can bring to all," states The Chocolate Cellar website.

With 45 different types of truffles boasting one-of-a-kind flavors like "hot and spicy," "bacon" and "pomegranate", it's not your typical chocolate shop (though it does offer tried and true combos like salted caramel and raspberry). Originally housed in a cellar that was a former Masonic lodge, the owners recently moved The Chocolate Cellar to a new location on Carthage Street.

"The original location had a feel of being in a different world when you stepped into the shop. It was really neat," said Laura Phelps. "It was really hard to leave because I was so in love with that location. But being in the chocolate business, we really needed updated plumbing. They're updating the building now and I hear that our old spot may be turned into a speakeasy."

"I was worried that I wouldn't be able to recreate the ambience in our new location, but it's been great," continued Phelps. "We were doing really well being below street level before, but now that we're at street level we get more eyes on the shop and people come in and are like, ‘We didn't even know you were here,' so that's been nice."

The art of crafting fine chocolates is something Phelps takes seriously and one of her favorite aspects of being a chocolatier is coming up with new flavors.

"Key lime is our number one seller," said Phelps. "I think flavor is really important. Sometimes when you have chocolates that are mass produced, you can't really target the different flavors and you have to appeal to a broad audience. We have a staple of flavors, but we also try new things."

When she's not elbow deep in melted chocolate, Phelps and her family enjoy going to Hugger Mugger Brewing Company downtown when they have food trucks.

Added Phelps about downtown Sanford and its culinary appeal, "I spent most of my life in Sanford and grew up here. It's a cute downtown and has an air about it. It has so much potential."

This article was written for our sponsor, Downtown Sanford, Inc.