A Go Ask Mom reader tipped me off to this place many months ago. Over winter break, I finally got there with my kids, who were glad to be in tow for this one. Bakery La Dolce Vita is a small bakery in downtown Rolesville, less than a mile from the town's Main Street Park. Opened a year and a half ago, the owners have been busy whipping up Italian delicacies and building a successful business. In fact, they've been so busy that they are planning to open a second location this spring near the Wakefield community.

If you stop in the bakery, you'll typically find one of the bakery's owners, Vanessa Minopoli, smiling behind the counter. She works the front of the house while her husband, Sal, mixes up the Italian pastries, cookies and cakes in the back. Sal worked at a bakery in New York before the couple moved here for the better weather and opened up the shop.