New SLO bakery sells giant cinnamon rolls in 12 unique flavors. See the lineup

Shannon Ocana loves cinnamon rolls.

She grew up around bakers in Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo, acting as a chef’s assistant as her mom would bake treats in her house.

Now decades later, the 22-year-old is in the process of starting her own baking business in San Luis Obispo: Roll’d SLO in The Kitchen Terminal at 4750 Allene Way.

“It’s very intimidating in some ways, but also very exciting,” Ocana told The Tribune. “It feels like a whole new world putting this out there. I know that what we have is good, and I hope others can see that too, and they’ll be very supportive.”

While still slowly setting up Roll’d, Ocana is rolling, proofing and baking its signature cinnamon rolls in her home in SLO.

The cinnamon rolls are enormous, weighing more than 180 grams — or just under half a pound — and requiring two hands to hold, Ocana said.

She enjoys the variety of flavors that the rolls can bring, and saw a missing piece for the doughy goodness in SLO.

“I love the fun on cinnamon rolls, and I feel like we don’t have a place like this that’s around, at least this area, with unique flavors on something that is honestly so simple to make at home,” Ocana said. “We never really saw the potential cinnamon rolls could have. There’s so much you can do with cinnamon rolls.”

What will Roll’d SLO have on menu?

Roll’d SLO’s current menu includes 12 different cinnamon rolls, each savory or sweet, such as Strawberry Dream, the Midnight Roll, Maple Bacon Bliss, Frosted Pecan Dream and the Pesto Roll.

The rolls’ prices vary depending on its toppings, from the Plain as Day for $6.50 to the Pesto Stack for $13.50. CinnaDots, bite-sized cinnamon roll pieces, are sold for $6.

“The concepts, and the names, I wanted to make it fun,” Ocana said. “I’m obviously super young. I wanted to make everything, super fun, cheery and not super serious.”

Ocana said she’s also currently experimenting with creating vegan and gluten-free rolls and perfecting the allergen-free rolls.

“Everything lies within the dough,” she said. “Little things, little changes, really change the texture of the dough or it just doesn’t rise right. Then flavor wise, I don’t want to give them something that’s not as flavorful as the original. I’m really trying to get everything perfectly done.”

When will new SLO cinnamon roll shop open?

Roll’d SLO will officially move into The Kitchen Terminal on July 12, and the cinnamon rolls will be able to be ordered July 10 from the website, Ocana said.

She is also preparing to sell the rolls at the downtown SLO Farmers’ Market in the coming weeks when a spot opens up.

Once Roll’d SLO is fully launched, two pickup windows will be available at 4750 Allene Way in SLO.

Roll’d SLO’s pickup times for weekdays include a window for mornings and one for lunchtime, Ocana said. For the weekend, the time frame will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information about the rising baking business, visit its website at rolldslo.com or call 805-595-0879.

This story was originally published July 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.