Whether you own a baking business or you are making cupcakes for a friend, Vanilla Bean is one of the best places in Madison to find everything you need. Their selection is better than any big box store (including the nearby Joann) and they have the boxes/packing for all your needs. I started my baking company a year ago and Vanilla Bean has been everything I wanted and needed. They keep a stock for all the upcoming holidays and have a wall of cookie cutters of everything you could possibly imagine. Then they have cake and cupcake toppers and plastic characters for parties and milestones also ok that wall. They have a huge selection of flavors and food coloring -- both are highest quality. Their gel colors have been my saving grace! Also, all of their tools, accessories, little things you can use are available. It makes this an awesome place to explore for any baking enthusiast. When I was in the State fair, Vanilla Bean had the cake dummies (styrofoam) I needed and at cheaper prices than Joann or online. They also have all the boxes and cake rounds for the bases that you could need. They also have pans for shaped cakes and characters. It's one of my favorite places in Madison -- go visit! read more

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Great service and products for over Twenty five years!!! Jane,Cindy( no longer there),Joyce they are all awesome.They will help you bring your cake/dessert vision to life!!! read more

Usually, I like Vanilla Bean as they have a large variety of products. I called to inquire if they carry hot chocolate bomb molds. I was informed, yes - but due to high demand they are limiting to one per CUSTOMER. Great - no problem. My mother-in-law drove over and purchased one and the clerk informed her it was one per FAMILY. I met her there in order to purchase one for myself. The clerk then changed her mind and said one per GROUP and demanded my name to write in a book as they are tracking purchases of the molds. We don't even live in the same house. I'm very DISAPPOINTED and won't be going back anytime soon. I have no problem with the limit. It is the manner in which the "rules" constantly changed and the tone in which it was conveyed. Also, you can purchase the same item as 2-pack of molds for $6 on amazon versus $8.95 each at Vanilla Bean. read more

I can honestly say that this store is great and has everything/anything you would need for baking on any level! I'm just starting out, but the people in here know their stuff and have been super helpful with questions and inquiries. Now I'm thinking that I can't live without it, but I guess I don't have to. It's also close to home. Win-win!! read more

I really like this store! I have purchased several unique baking items at Vanilla Bean that I haven't been able to find at the grocery store, craft stores or Amazon. Because I've now found so many unique items at Vanilla Bean, I now only purchase baking-type items at Vanilla Bean. I don't even look at other retailers. Vanilla Bean is my go-to place for purchasing cellophane treat bags and foldable treat boxes. Because my parents and most relatives live outside of Wisconsin, I do lots of baking for their birthdays and for Christmas and ship them treats. The bags and boxes at Vanilla Bean are perfect for packaging up my treats. I've also purchased some unique colors of food coloring as well as melting chocolates at Vanilla Bean. The staff people are always helpful and know the answers to my questions. The credit card machine at Vanilla Bean is a little slow, so you won't have the speediest transaction at the register. But you're buying sprinkles, so you're in a good mood. I recommend Vanilla Bean for anything and everything you might need baking! read more

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We visited in mid-February 2021. Half empty shelves. No effort whatsoever to limit the number of people allowed inside the store to shop at one time, never mind any encouragement for customers to socially distance in the store's narrow aisles. This is a store design that screams for one way only aisles. Clearly unhappy, bordering on surly, cashier. The pandemic has hit this formerly beloved store hard, and they aren't rolling with the punches as they could and should be. We found about half of the things we went in for, and left feeling very stressed out by the whole experience. Very sad to have to give a much lower rating than usual. The bright spot was the high school age girl who was very smiling, friendly, and earnestly trying her best to get us what we needed, but unfortunately also seemingly unaware that unrelated people cannot stand right next to each other during a pandemic. Felt so bad for her. I hope she stays well. I won't shop in the store again until the danger has well passed. read more

Vanilla Bean - Birthday treat making supplies! - Specialty Food Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Vanilla Bean is a nice store, with plenty of hard-to-find (in Madison) products and helpful people. But you should know that they DO NOT stand behind their merchandise. I wanted to return two of the same item and, though the clerk and manager agreed that the items were poorly made, they suggested I call the manufacturer. Sure, I think I'll do that. i can't afford that kind of waste and I will be shopping somewhere else now. read more

Love this place. I took a few advanced decorating classes and they were well taught. It is a bit on the expensive side but they have a good selection of cake decorating supplies. read more

The Vanilla Bean now carries high quality gel paste colors! They are called Americolor and provide more vibrant and "true" color shades than the Wilton ones. They also now have Sugar Art brand petal and luster dusts! I'm so excited by this and I don't even live in Madison :) Happy cake decorating! read more

The selection is incredible - I've yet to leave empty-handed, no matter how esoteric my search. They cram an unbelievable amount of inventory into a very small space, so the layout of the store takes some getting used to. Pricing is reasonable, slightly more than on-line sources, but a good value considering the expertise of the staff. They also have a decent selection of kitchen gadgets, though not to the level of Orange Tree Imports or the Kitchen Gallery. While the staff members are not over-the-top friendly, they are incredibly knowledgeable. I also like the fact that they will let my daughter and I browse freely when we have the time to explore. The store also offers a variety of baking and cake decorating classes for all skill levels. Finding a parking spot in front of the store is a breeze, but navigating the congested Odana Road corridor to get to the store - not so much fun. If you are in need of baking supplies, I encourage you to check out the Vanilla Bean. read more

If you are looking for cake decorating and baking supplies this is where you need to go!! Although their hours aren't great, they do have everything you would need to make an adorable birthday cake, Christmas cookies, and more! The selection of cookie cutters is the largest I've seen anywhere. I've also taken a Wilton cake decorating class through them, and it was fabulous. It was more work than I expected, but I learned a lot! read more

A fabulous local shop. It had been a number of years since I last visited Vanilla Bean, but I stopped in looking for a specialty cake item today. Sure enough, they had it! (A number of other stores didn't even know what I was talking about when I enquired!). Very reasonable prices for specialty baking items and a very great selection - especially considering the size of the shop. Many items for cakes, cupcakes, candy making, half a wall of cookie cutters and supplies for making traditional Scandinavian desserts. Get thee to Vanilla Bean! read more

Vanilla Bean - Storefront 10/11/12 - Specialty Food Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I can't say enough wonderful things about this store. I've been buying candy-making supplies and related gift boxes and other things there for years now; I can't say that I've ever gone in there and left thinking that I couldn't find something that wouldn't work for what I wanted. I've always especially enjoyed their basic candy discs (chocolate and other flavors, plus extracts you can add) and the huge variety of molds and accessories you can use to create your own gourmet candy. Now they have extra dusts and bits that you can decorate the tops with to add a little special something too! I'd always given the candy I'd made as gifts for my son's teachers and to friends, and Vanilla Bean has a ton of special boxes and bags you can assemble, as well as inserts and cards. You can make so many personalized, yummy gifts from top to bottom here. It's just my favorite place to go when I want to get crafty with sweets. read more

Wow. Who'd-a-thunk you could get something for about the same price as Amazon at a small, locally owned, specialty store? In my case, I needed some simple 8" round cake pans. The usual suspects (Wal Mart, Target, BBB) all had the more common 9" pans. This place had 8" pans (and about 10 other sizes), well stocked and well priced (I expected to be charged out the wazoo). Their website kinda sucks, so be forewarned that they don't seem to sell any ingredients (besides decorations), but when you want to do baking right, with the right gear (or at least not screw it up with the wrong gear) this place is great. read more

I completely agree with the first poster. This is THE place for anyone who has a bit of a creative baking side- or wants to get ideas so they can pretend they're Martha Stewart. Or are looking for specific cookie cutter shapes, candy molds, cake garnishes, etc. They have an entire wall of cookie-cutter shapes that is my favorite! It's kind of a hidden gem in Madison- if you didn't grow up here, you might not have heard of it or know where it is, but it's definitely worth stopping by on your way to/from West Towne, just so you know what all they have here! read more

I made my sister's wedding cake last month and without Vanilla Bean I'd have been SOL. They had all of the supplies I needed, from cardboard circles (that you can buy individually whereas at Michael's or Joann you need to buy a pack of 8) decorator tips (even the obscure ones), fillings, flower nails and boxes and also knowledgeable staff people who were able to offer advice and talk me off the ledge I was perched on after baking for 14 hours straight. If you fancy yourself any sort of baker, this is your shop. read more

This is the perfect place to find decorations for whatever you're baking! I always come here for holiday treat supplies. Cookie cutters, gingerbread house supplies, sprinkles and other cool things to put on cupcakes, and that's pretty much just one aisle. Boxes, baking sheets, stuff for fancy cakes and a bunch of other things I don't know anything about. But that's ok, because the staff is very friendly and helpful! They offer some classes too. One downside, much of their merchandise is pretty expensive. But to get some fun holiday supplies, this is definitely the place! read more

An awesome store and even better place to learn Wilton's techniques on cake and cupcake decorating. Suzanne is an excellent teacher and the store staff is very friendly and helpful. Whether you are a newby or an experienced baker this store has everything and if you have a question they definitely have the answer and will sell you the right product/tool/whatever it is you are looking for. GREAT STORE! read more

This place is awesome. Bakers, weddings, cupcake and cookie ideas, ingredients, kitchen supplies. Wonderful store. Be creative and get new ideas. read more

This rating does NOT reflect the fabulous selection at The Bean--that's amazing. I was irritated by the customer service. It STARTED well, with a lady greeting me as I came in the door and asking if I needed help finding anything. When I said no, the lady walked over to her associate, and the two proceeded to engage in an epic--riveting, I'm SURE--conversation that was still going on 10 minutes later, which is when I walked (unnoticed) out the door. The conversation transpired in the middle of a crowed aisle, which I, along with another patron, were having no small amount of difficulty navigating. The two were completely oblivious to the fact that we were trying to see (and move) PAST them. When the other patron met my eyes and shook her head in bewilderment, my suspicion that this is NOT normal behavior for business proprietors was confirmed. I didn't stick around any longer. I found what I needed at JoAnn's right around the corner. read more

Oh my! This place is impressive! Everything you need for cake and cookie decorating except the cake and cookies. I loved the big tubs of buttercream frosting. Was able to purchase individual pastry decorating bags and tips. The selection is incredible. read more

Vanilla Bean is an outstanding cake supply and equipment store. They have everything what you need for bake & decorate cakes. Also, decorating classes and wedding services. That was my favorite store when I lived in Madison. If you enjoy to bake & decorate cakes and lives in Madison or close to this town, this is it. I am wondering why they dont have a website, please owner, create a website to buy stuff online. The Best! read more