cake Archives - West Coast Food

Chef Stories November 3, 2022

Food Network Canada: Project Bakeover Features Lyra Lou Cakes

Food Network Canada’s Project Bakeover Features Surrey’s Lyra Lou Cakes By Catherine Dunwoody In Project Bakeover renowned pastry chef, master chocolatier and entrepreneur Steve Hodge saves struggling bakeries on the brink of losing it all. His expert advice, combined with interior designer Tiffany Pratt’s talents turning ho-hum spaces into stunning showcases really are the recipe for success. North Shore’s Steve Hodge of Temper Chocolate and Pastry and design guru Tiffany Pratt sprinkled their magic all over a Filipino bakery with a much-deserved makeover. West Coast Food’s regular contributor Catherine Dunwoody chatted with the Surrey-based husband and wife team, Lyra and Abe, about their epic experience on the show. Lyra Lou Cakes owners Abe and Lyra appeared in Project Bakeover Season 2, Episode 5 “Cake it to the Limit”. Lyra and Abe! How did you get involved in the show? Did you apply or did Food Network invite you? Somebody from…

Sweets October 29, 2021

Creepy, Dreamy, Quirky and Fun: Punk Rock Pastries is Cake Re-Imagined

You’ve Got to Look Twice at Punk Rock Pastries Creations By Alexis Baran A butcher, a baker, a spooky cake maker, Punk Rock Pastries’ Hollie Fraser is all of the above. While she may be butchering exclusively cakes and buttercream these days, you wouldn’t know it looking at her creations. Hollie is the owner of Punk Rock Pastries and together with her small team, they’ve baked and sculpted their way not only into the mouths and stomachs of locals – but also into shows such as the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Mighty Ducks and Turner and Hooch. Located just on the outskirts of the fabulous-for-foodies Burnaby Heights neighbourhood, the shop shelves are full of pastries and cookies that go from adorably colourful and bubbly, to convincingly horrific, to R-rated. Walk-by traffic often has mixed reviews. “[Punk Rock Pastries] is an adult-themed bakery,” says Hollie. “So when most people see our…

Chef Stories February 13, 2019

Sweet Beginnings at Cakes ‘n Sweets

By Sonu Purhar Cakes n’ Sweets is packed. Situated at Creekside Village, two blocks west of Coquitlam Centre Mall, the cozy café is rife with the intoxicating scent of vanilla, cinnamon and sugar. Each customer is seated in front of a mouthwatering dessert: strawberry and lemon macarons, salted caramel cupcakes, mango mousse… and cake. Oh, the cakes! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Cakes n Sweets (@cakesnsweets_) on Oct 31, 2017 at 8:30am PDT Owner Shiela De Villa works the counter, chatting easily with customers ordering custom cakes–-her specialty. Weddings, birthday parties, retirement celebrations, every occasion under the sun deserves a showstopping dessert, and Shiela is determined to send each client away with the cake of their dreams. Cakes ‘n Sweets is a popular place, but it wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for Shiela’s kids. You see, she spent nearly two decades…

Chef Stories November 13, 2018

From Russia to Paris to Vancouver: Pastry Chef Elena Krasnova

Russian-born, Paris-trained pastry chef Elena Krasnova opened Mon Paris Pâtisserie in Burnaby in January 2017; creating classic French pastries, divine desserts and chocolates that are a work of art.

Brunch October 31, 2017

A Homey Bakery in the Heart of Richmond’s Steveston Village

By Winnie Tam When Steveston Bakery opened in 1989, the road wasn’t yet paved and there were barely any other businesses nearby. Today, Steveston is one of Richmond’s most beloved and bustling neighbourhoods, with lots to see and eat for locals and tourists alike. And while the surroundings of Steveston Bakery have changed dramatically, husband-and-wife owners Hemant and Bimla Rao’s commitment to quality in their food and baked goods hasn’t budged one bit. The lineups that appear daily in their bakery are the best proof. The shop is the kind of friendly neighbourhood place that every town dreams of. Since moving from Fiji to Canada in the early 80s, the couple has established a regular fan base for their bakery; in fact, some patrons have been visiting nearly every day since it opened (yes, it’s open seven days a week). Hemant jokes that some people call his bakery Steveston’s “second…

Sweets August 30, 2017

Must-Visit Richmond Bakeries

By VisitRichmondBC.com Who doesn’t want to consume their weight in baked goods? This list of delicious, must-visit bakeries will make you want to throw out your diet, even if just for one day. Go ahead and indulge – try out these six bakeries – three Asian bakeries and three European/North American ones, all located in sunny Richmond, BC. Chinese Bakeries Lido Restaurant 4231 Hazelbridge Way Apparently, pineapple buns are a really big deal around here. Ask just about anyone who has lived in Richmond for any substantial period of time and, assuming that this person is reasonably up to snuff on Hong Kong style bakeries, they’ll tell you that Lido is king of the pineapple bun. Trays of these buns are brought out every 15 minutes, all day long. Bite into a deliciously fresh, hot bun with a slab of butter in the middle and you’ll see what we’re talking…