New bakery owners put in long hours
The owners of the city’s two newest bakeries are seeing their dreams collide with the reality of very long hours
A dream sounds airy, doesn’t it? Wreathed in smoke, a dream conjures harp music and lights that twinkle like tiny diamonds. Right?
Working for nearby 48 hours with only a few of sleep doesn’t feel that deliciously dreamy. Feels like a bit of a nightmare, to be honest. And yet, that’s what the dream of owning her own business has looked like for chef Kai Wong, at least in the early days at the new patisserie, Chocorrant (10328 124 St., 780-908-2253).
Wong, co-owner of the shop along with her brother, David Wong, has long wanted to have her own business. Now that it’s open, she’s learning it’s not all chocolate croissants and gold-leaf sprinkles.
“We put a lot of work into it, and did a lot of the building ourselves and have put a lot of hours into the kitchen, and incorporated our whole family,” says Kai, 30.
Brother David, 33, a fine arts grad from MacEwan University with a background in film and drafting, was largely in charge of the shop’s construction, which has been in the works for almost a year. He learned much of the fine finishing in the shop on You Tube. Kai made the tables herself, along with the artwork that adorns the walls.
A welcome addition to the 124 Street scene, Chocorrant has exquisite desserts and pastries with an Asian twist. Inspired by a factfinding trip to Japan 18 months ago, the shop shows off out-of-the ordinary flavours, although there are also sweets that sound temptingly familiar, such as the lemon marscapone cheesecake with honey tuile.
Kai says that, generally, her sweets are a little less sweet than your average dessert, pointing out eclair fillings such as tangy mango with coconut, black sesame cream, and roasted chestnut.
“It’s not just your regular cakes,” she says, noting the Red Bean and Strawberry cake, and Caramel Apple cake, which looks like something giddy on a stick found at the fair.
Croissants are a specialty at Chocorrant. I sampled the matcha green tea croissant — it was perfectly flaky and crispy on the outside and softly layered on the inside. Individually sized cakes and cheesecakes run at around $6 each and will impress dinner guests. Chocorrant serves lunch, including a homemade daily soup and croissant sandwiches. The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and Sundays, 9 to 5. It’s closed on Mondays.
Pastry chefs, mates and business partners Gloria Bednarz and Guenter Hess have long held the lead in high-end cake creation in Edmonton. Now, the owners of The Art of Cake have expanded from a small takeout spot in Edmonton City Centre and into their own café and dessert shop.
It’s been open since March and can be found in a quiet pocket of downtown at 11807C 105 Ave. — right beside Iconoclast Coffee and across from the cemetery. Devoted downtown customers will be pleased to note the availability of free parking.
Jeremy Hess, the couple’s 23-year-old son, is handling the front of the house in the new, 5,000-square-foot space, which has beautiful bright skylights, a huge kitchen, a sizable café with eight tables, and an expansive hall that will eventually be used for catered events. There is, naturally, an incredible selection of baked goods — from fresh fruit flans, to creamy cheesecakes, frilly cupcakes and old-fashioned cookies.
“Our baked goods are a reflection of our love of nostalgia baking. It’s a trip back to Gramma’s house, where everything was made from scratch,” says Bednarz, who has been in business in Edmonton for more than 10 years.
The space itself is also a trip back in time, and reflects the love that Hess and Bednarz have for vintage fashions and furnishings. Bednarz has collected china forever — teapots, cake stands, tea cups and entire exquisite dish sets. But the stuff was all packed into boxes in the basement. Now it’s on display, along with vintage baking tins, suitcases and chests, and furniture lovingly restored by Bednarz (and a good carpenter).
The shop has no liquor licence, but that’s coming. Still, I consider it the perfect location for a romantic getaway, and what do you know? The Art of Cake hosts Date Nights on Friday until 9 p.m. Check the café’s website for more details.