FRESH & DAILY
Imagine: it’s an early spring morning, the sun shining merrily through your window as you lounge in bed, reluctant to get up. Perhaps, like many of us, you’re thinking to yourself that the sun is being a little too merry before you had any coffee. Then you remember – pulling yourself out of bed, you get dressed, don a light jacket and head out down the street, knowing that despite the faint morning chill, the day promises warmth as you head to your favourite bakery, where your day is instantly transformed by a friendly face, the smell of fresh baking – and of course coffee!
For many of us, myself included, caught up with the business of life and disheartened by the seemingly never-ending march of so-called modernity, the idea of starting your day with a trip to the local bakery seems like a thing of the past, a relic of a quaint small town that does not even exist and instead we settle for chain stores who’s promises of always fresh means that it was reheated from frozen that morning.
That, however, is not the case for Son of a Chef, located at 114 Broadway in Orangeville. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 9am-5pm (8am-4pm on Saturdays), owner Cristina Roque and her team of amazing bakers and employees are up at the crack of dawn to ensure that everything in their store really is made fresh daily – quite literally. On Tuesdays, when they start their week once more, they start baking around 4am, and generally find that their shelves are completely restocked by 10am. On Saturdays, when they open an hour earlier and offer a selection of “Saturday Only” products, they usually start even earlier, somewhere around 3am.
Part of this is due to one of Cristina’s favourite products to make – her Portuguese donuts. Made completely from scratch, just like everything else in her store, she needs to get up that early to start on the dough, allowing the yeast the proper time to activate and rise. While your typical donut, as we’ve come to expect it here in North America, is fairly puffy, rising to a round, smooth shape, Portuguese donuts are a little flatter and sometimes have a rougher, bumpier edge. Fried and covered in sugar, the only regret I currently have is that I visited on a Wednesday instead of a Saturday, meaning I’m definitely going to have to be making a trip back to try them.
Other delicacies that you can find on Saturdays include large fruit tarts, Cod Fish Cakes, Shrimp Patties, Portuguese Sausage Bread, Portuguese Tarts and Flan. Though, if you can’t make it out on a Saturday, don’t worry – the display cases at Son of a Chef are always filled with more treats, sweet and savory, than you could imagine, any day of the week. As a self-proclaimed sugar addict, it took a lot to restrain myself to just one item (one pack of six cupcakes, still counts as one, right? Asking for a friend.)
Taking the bakery over in November 2020, Cristina certainly had her work cut out for her, finding her footing as a new business during such a time of change and uncertainty – started with the previous owners’ Italian roots in mind, breads cakes and of course, cannoli were the bulk of the goods provided when Cristina took over. While all of these items are still available, Cristina has dug into her own Portuguese roots, filling out what she offers with so much more – taking inspiration from large meals that she used to bake for her own family gatherings.
If you can’t make it into the store yourself, or are looking for something a little more specific, orders for events, big or small, are more than welcome – they offer cupcakes, cakes, and small platters for all occasions. Whatever you have in mind, Cristina knows that her talented, creative bakers can make it happen. They just ask that you order at least one week ahead so they have the time to make it properly, fresh from scratch, just as they do with everything else. With any luck, they will soon see their goal of getting hot plates going, which will enable them to take on even bigger orders and gatherings.
So, next time you’re lying in bed, grumbling at the sun for being too bright and wishing that you had someone to make your breakfast fresh for you, remember that you do! You just have to walk down to Son of a Chef to get it.
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT | PHOTOGRAPHY: CORY BRUYEA
RESOURCES: SON OF A CHEF BAKERY, ORANGEVILLE
