By Kristi Alexandra
Move over, waffle cones— chimney cakes are here to stay! While they’ve been around for a while in Europe, this innovative and delicious alternative to the traditional ice cream cone is still relatively new to the Vancouver food scene. Jaroslav Mestka, owner of the Praguery, has been a key player in introducing the delicacy to the Lower Mainland over the past decade.
The Praguery has quickly become a beloved line of food trucks across Metro Vancouver and the sea-to-sky area, famous for serving up delicious soft serve, fresh fruit and sauces, and other toppings inside freshly baked (never-fried) chimney cakes. At the moment, you can find the Praguery’s sweet treats at any of their frequent local stops: Richmond’s McArthur Glen outlet mall, Squamish’s Sea-to-Sky Gondola, and as a roving ice cream truck in Coquitlam.
West Coast Food recently talked to the Mestka about his journey from Prague to Vancouver, how he became a local pastry pioneer, and what’s in store for the Praguery’s upcoming brick-and-mortar shop at Coquitlam’s Lafarge Lake.
What made you want to bring this sweet European street food to Vancouver?
It started when I was living in the UK. I was always passing a guy there who was selling crepes; I really loved the smell and admired how he was independent. I was like, “Okay, I think this is something I want to do.” And then it kind of stuck in my head. I was about to move to Canada with the intention of opening a crepe stand, but when I flew back to Prague, I accidentally went down the wrong street. There was a bakery making chimney cones with ice cream—so that’s where I got the inspiration to bring it back to Canada.
I really like quality desserts with really good ingredients. Plus, I have a little bit of entrepreneurial blood from my parents, so with that combination plus [being inspired by] the guy in England—I was kind of thinking, “Wow, that would be cool.”
Can you talk about your dedication to quality and the ingredients you use?
In 2021, I flew to Italy, went to Carpigiani Gelato University, and took courses on making ice cream there. Then, when I came back, I bought some equipment and played with that ice cream formulation. I ended up with a formula, which we are using right now, using local dairy providers. It’s pure milk and pure cream. [There aren’t] stabilizers inside like you would find in a big chain store.
It’s the same thing I do with the sauces—getting the raw ingredients from Krause Berry Farm in Abbotsford. I’m really picky about what we put in. We don’t go to Superstore or Walmart and buy strawberry sauce. All the pistachios and chocolate come from Europe.
What makes the Praguery cone special?
From the beginning, we make the dough fresh, always on location, based on demand. Once we have the cone, we put a little bit of chocolate chips on the bottom, fill it halfway with ice cream, and add flavours, which you choose. My favourite right now is the Ferrero Rocher. We’re just putting that on the permanent menu now.
What can we expect from the new storefront you’re opening in Coquitlam?
For the winter, we have chimney cakes without ice cream, which you can buy in a box, along with whip cream and dips.
The store will give us the opportunity to do an espresso program—teas and some iced drinks. We’ll also have little cream puffs: chocolate, raspberry, matcha, and vanilla. We’re going to have a premium Danish with a mascarpone raspberry sauce, burnt cheesecakes, and two types of focaccia—all made with really good-quality ingredients.
Visit the new Praguery location when it opens in mid-November at 1207 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam.
Or find them online at praguery.com on Instagram and Facebook.
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