Bella La Crema

We have been close friends with Janet and Bob for many, many years. They have introduced us to some really cool places over the years too. And they just introduced us to yet another really cool, fun and unique place – Bella La Crema.

Bella La Crema is a small, unique handcrafted butter shoppe located in Longmont, CO, about 30 or so minutes north of us. Bella La Crema was born in 2018, by chef and butter lover Shauna Lee Strecker, aka Shauna Lee. Shauna has been making butter her whole life, starting at the tender age of 5, while still in kindergarten. She describes the art of making butter as a “vacuole of happiness” deep in her soul. As the owner of Bella La Crema in Longmont, Colorado, Shauna uses her years of experience to create small-batch, hand-packed artisanal butters. Shauna was once a ballerina, but now lovingly calls herself  the “Prima Butterina.” I love this. 🙂

Shauna is a very creative person and was called to open her first “butter restaurant”, A full-service restaurant or bistro, known as the “World’s First Butter Bar” in Lyons, Colorado in 2018. Most of her menu items for lunch, brunch and dinner included some incarnation of this creamy condiment. After the Lyons building was sold, Shauna had to find a new location. In August of 2024, a building on Main St. in Longmont opened up and the community once again embraced her culinary concept. Although not a restaurant, many of the same items such as the butter flights are offered. Her ten “flagship” butters are divided between sweet and savory but she is constantly experimenting with new flavors, just as any foodie would do.

The concept of infusing butter originally came from Shanua’s son, Rooks. Even at a young age, he was fascinated with grinding up various combinations of herbs and spices on their home kitchen island. After combining fennel, lemon and cinnamon, his mother tasted it and exclaimed, “This needs to be in butter. It’s beautiful, unpredictable, and perfect!” This flavor profile became one of Bella La Crema’s most requested products called Fennel-Lemon Delight.

Shauna pays great attention to every detail. She uses only the finest grade ingredients for all her butters and other products too. Each vendor is carefully vetted. Her cream, for instance, comes from small farms that graze grass-fed cows in Delaware, Iowa, and other locations. Flour for her baguettes is sourced from Italy and is non-hybridized and pesticide-free, and this attention to detail has engendered a fiercely loyal following. Her loyal customers, both old and new, have definitely noticed her attention to every detail too. You can taste it in every bite.

We tried six different butters, all of which were delectably delicious and very unique. There are little printed menus that you make your selections on and Shauna lovingly serves them on a hard plastic straw for you to taste her beautiful creations. Instead of a wine flight, you are embarking on a butter flight.

As I was tasting all the butters, I was also creating recipes in my head on how to use them to best showcase their unique flavors.

We took three of the fabulous Bella La Crema butters home with us, but I already plan on going back because we missed one that we really liked a lot – the Morello Rum Melody prepared with cherry, nutmeg, lemon, sugar, molasses, and rum. Larry and I bought the Wildflower Butter, Monet’s Garden and the French Country Style Butter. Janet and Bob came home with a couple of new butters as well.

Needless to say, Shauna and I clicked immediately. We both share a love of good food, and of course BUTTER! We talked like we were old friends and shared recipes and stories immediately.

Bella La Crema allows you to walk in and purchase butters in the store, or you can purchase them online too. Shauna will ship them to your door, no matter where you are. When the butters are shipped they are shipped frozen. All of Bella La Crema’s butters are made in house with fresh cream using raw cow’s milk. This raw milk contains “good” bacteria” known as cultures or probiotics that are live cultures. These live cultures are killed in the pasteurization process. There are no preservatives, stabilizers or artificial ingredients used in the making of Bella La Crema’s butter, EVER! They are all fresh and pure. Because there are no preservatives, the best way to “preserve” your butters is to refrigerate them, if they will be out for more than four hours, where they will last and retain their fresh qualities for about three weeks. If you are not going to use them right away, Shauna highly recommends you freeze them, where they will still retain their fresh goodness for about six months. Shauna says “the three enemies of fresh butter are time, temperature and oxygen”. I agree. Though I go through so much butter that it never has time to go bad. 🙂

Bella La Crema is located at 931 Main Street, Unit A, Longmont, CO, 80501. But you can call ahead at (720) 877-3721, or locate them online at either @Bellalacrema or http://www.bellalacrema. We all know life and everything else is much better with butter, and even better still with Bella La Crema butter. 🙂

Have a great day and make it even better with butter. May 2026 be filled with happiness, good health and prosperity for all. ‘Til next time.