Cinnaholic returns to its roots with new Berkeley location

Berkeley-born Cinnaholic was a near instant hit when it opened in 2010. After a publicity boost from an appearance Shark Tank, the business built around vegan cinnamon rolls took off in 2014, expanding rapidly to franchise shops across the United States and Canada.

2505 Hearst Ave., Suite D, Berkeley; www.cinnaholic.com

Hours: Daily, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Grand Opening: Friday, April 3

But, as the brand was rapidly growing, the building where the flagship Berkeley store was located was bought, leading to the original store’s closure in 2023. There were a few others in the Bay Area, but the pandemic led to their closures as well. This left the Bay Area with zero Cinnaholics.

Now, the vegan cinnamon rolls are back. The new shop, which officially opens this Friday, April 3, is in a food court on Hearst Avenue across from the north side of the Cal campus.

Cinnaholic made its mark with gooey, rich, vanilla-frosted rolls that are sweet but not too sweet, large enough to split with another person yet tasty enough to finish on one’s own, all entirely free of animal products. An all-time favorite is the Very Berry Roll, which is topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries and a raspberry jam drizzled on top (see ingredients list here), but there are other options like the caramel apple pie and s’mores toppings.

Lorraine Mena (left) and Kevin Slocum manage the new Berkeley Cinnaholic shop. Photo courtesy of Kevin Slocum

Shannon Zamfirescu first tried Cinnaholic several years ago after moving to the Bay Area in 2021. Zamfirescu, who is from the Bronx, is a longtime vegan and moved here to work in tech. Someone she met at a dog park recommended Cinnaholic to her.

“I loved it when I tasted it myself,” she told NOSH about her first order. When she went in person to the shop, she saw that “there was a line out the door.”

A few years later, Zamfirescu learned that the Berkeley store was closing. Prior to this, she had discussed going into a business with her brother, Kevin Slocum. Growing up, they had seen family and community members become franchisees.

“We decided to invest in it,” Zamfirescu said. “We wanted to be together again as a family, not just me out here.” Slocum and his fiancée, Lorraine Mena, moved to the Bay in July 2024 to help launch the shop. Slocum is now managing the Berkeley shop, while Mena is assistant store manager.

Berkeley roots of Cinnaholic

The very first Cinnaholic store started in Berkeley, opened by punk rock musician Florian Radke and veterinarian assistant Shannon Radke. “We take pride in breaking the stereotype that vegan food tastes like cardboard,” Shannon told Berkeleyside in 2010.

Despite the vast (and growing) number of stores in the U.S., up until last week, the closest Cinnaholic to the Bay Area was in Visalia (there’s also one in Los Angeles). The company is now headquartered in Atlanta.

“This is where everything started, the very first store,” Slocum told NOSH. “The community was so sad when it shut down after the pandemic.”

The building at 2132 Oxford St. that Cinnaholic was in was sold to build high rise apartments, though it has yet to be developed. The original Berkeley flagship shop had been locally run as a franchise since 2014.

Cinnaholic also offers catering, including cakes, edible cookie dough, brownies, cookies and “baby buns.” Credit: Cinnaholic

The new shop is directly across from the north side of campus. “I’m just really happy that we’re opening, and it’s close to the school,” Mena said.

The shop also caters large orders, including cakes made from cinnamon rolls, edible cookie dough, brownies, cookies, and “baby buns.”

The icing on top of the cake – er, cinnamon roll – moment was when co-founder Shannon Radke stopped by the shop a few weeks ago. “She gave us some words of encouragement,” Slocum said.

Honoring their mother

Zamfirescu said she didn’t want to invest in something she didn’t believe in. Since she’s vegan, Cinnaholic seemed like a good choice.

But, there were also other signs that it was the right business to go into together as a family. Zamfirescu’s first name, Shannon, is the same as one of the founders.

Cinnaholic’s campfire s’mores cinnamon roll includes marshmallow frosting with graham cookies, marshmallows and chocolate sauce. Credit: Cinnaholic

For Slocum, his mother once gifted him a book about Shark Tank, the popular reality TV show where entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas. He learned that the Radkes pitched their vegan cinnamon roll business idea on Shark Tank in 2014. The Radkes initially accepted a deal from “shark” Robert Herjavec with a focus on growing the business through shipping. But, in the end, the deal fell through and the founders decided to focus on franchising instead.

Slocum said he was “obsessed with Shark Tank” after reading the book his mother, who passed away a few years ago, gave him. The siblings added that their mother liked sweets a lot, and that she’d be proud of them for going into business together.

Cinnaholic soft opened in March, and will have its official grand opening Friday, April 3 with $2 signature cinnamon rolls (limited to one per guest) and a DJ.

“It’ll be a party, to bring it back to the community,” Slocum said.

Cinnaholic returns to its roots with new Berkeley location

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