Cakes, macarons, tarts and more, Duchess Bake Shop celebrating 15 years
A sweet Edmonton staple is celebrating 15 years in business and one can only imagine how intricate the birthday cake is.
Duchess Bake Shop has been feeding Edmonton's sweet tooth from Westmount since 2009.
"When we opened up and we were just a really tiny little shop, the community around us was absolutely phenomenal, they came out of the woodwork to support us day one without even knowing who we were," said Garner Beggs, a co-founder and co-owner of Duchess.
"It's never really changed, and that's one of the things that I'm always, eternally grateful for about Edmonton."
Treats from Duchess Bake Shop on Friday Oct. 18, 2024. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)
The popular bakery is known for its cakes, tart, pies and, perhaps most of all, its macarons.
There are baking classes held at the shop and even two Duchess cookbooks.
Duchess also received international attention when they were picked to compete in the French reality baking show Le Meilleur Pâtissier: Les Professionnels (The Best Pastry Chef: The Professionals) in 2018.
The Duchess team was the only one from North America competing that season and they placed third overall.
Duchess co-founder and competitor Giselle Corteau said in 2018 that going up against French professionals made the team feel good about their skills.
"It's not until we leave our little box that we can measure ourselves against other people and we were really proud of what we did and what we put out," Corteau told CTV News Edmonton after the show.
Now, Duchess is getting ready for some "big plans" in the new year, including some expansion plans, according to Beggs.
"We've got a lot of new products in the pipeline … the cooks in the kitchen are always busy, we're experimenting with new things, trying new flavors, trying to source better ingredients," Beggs said.
When the shop opened, they had four employees, now, the staff sits around 70.
"None of us really had any business background, it was very much a passion project, over the years we've had to learn through the school of hard knocks how to run a business properly and how to manage people," Beggs said.
"I'm proud of where we've gotten the business to today and I know we've got a lot of room to develop and grow, and I'm looking forward to getting that to happen."
A second location, Little Duchess Bake Shop opened in the Ritchie Market in 2019.
Duchess celebrated the milestone with a free birthday cake macaron for anyone who comes by, no purchase necessary, while supplies last.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Millions of Cubans lose power after national grid fails
Cuba plunged into a countrywide blackout on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed and caused the national electrical grid to shut down, its energy ministry said.
Arrests made after gunshots fired at Toronto Jewish girls' school
A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy are facing multiple charges after allegedly firing gunshots at a Jewish girls' school last weekend.
SaskPower receives largest workplace fine in province's history for 2020 deaths of employees in Weyburn
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
Suspect charged in hand-scooping incident at B.C. frozen yogurt shop
Days after a man was recorded walking behind the counter at a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., and scooping product with his hand, a suspect has been criminally charged.
There may be less chocolate at the door this Halloween
If you’re heading out trick or treating this Halloween, you may end up with more chips, gummies, licorice, and other goodies – rather than chocolate. Cocoa prices have spiked, and that could be playing a trick with what your kids come home with and what you give out on Halloween night.
Toronto to swiftly 'limit activity' near Rogers Centre during Taylor Swift's 6 concerts
Taylor Swift is coming to Toronto and the city is working to shake off its gridlock problems by implementing a '"limited activity zone' around the Rogers Centre during the two-week period when she is scheduled to play six sold-out shows.
Dog spotted hanging out on top of ancient pyramid in Egypt
While flying over Egypt’s famous Great Pyramids at sunrise earlier this week, US paraglider Marshall Mosher and fellow paragliders spotted the unexpected sight of a stray hound also taking in views around the summit of one of the ancient wonders.
Cabinet minister who is quitting voices confidence in Trudeau
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
Hundreds ordered to evacuate from fast-moving Northern California fire, official says
Hundreds of Northern California residents have been ordered to evacuate from their homes in an Oakland neighbourhood as a fast-moving fire grew along a hillside Friday afternoon, a fire official said.