OVEN FRESH: Innovators make Oakville’s bakery scene even sweeter - Look Local

There’s something to satisfy every palette at Oakville’s local bakeries. Decadent cookie butter cupcakes, New York-style rolled croissants and intricately decorated fresh fruit tarts are just some of the confections available to the city’s bakery-goers. There is a vast selection of outstanding bakeries to choose from, but here we are focusing on just three that have opened recently in the area. Make it your next weekend plan to stop into one — or all — of these local shops.

Tatin Bakehouse

No sweet tooth? No problem. At Tatin Bakehouse, savoury baked goods are as much a focus as their sweeter options. Pastry chef Lili Linda and her business partner Sheila Wang have come together to craft these delicious offerings, which are largely driven by the Indonesian flavours Linda grew up with. She describes the bakery as a French patisserie focused on South East Asian ingredients.

One of their signature tarts has black rice on the bottom and a baked custard, similar to creme brulee, on top. “People are hesitant to try rice in a tart, but once they do, they enjoy it. The flavour is floral and not overpowering,” Linda says.

Also on the menu is an entirely savoury,
decidedly non-dessert treat. It’s nearly impossible not to make an audible “mmm” when biting into a — wait for it — shepherd’s pie tart from Tatin Bakehouse. They’re really that good. With notes of caramelization from the slow-cooked Indonesian-style beef brisket, a kick of tanginess from the
pickled onion, and a balance of textures from the spelt flour shell and garlic
mashed potatoes on top, the dish is everything you could ask for in
a snack and more.

If you’ve visited the now Michelin Starred restaurant, Hexagon, in Downtown Oakville, you may have had the pleasure of trying Linda’s creations already – she worked there for 5 years honing her craft making exceptional desserts
and pastries, before going out on her own and eventually opening Tatin in 2024. At Tatin you’ll have the opportunity to experience her flexing her creativity and showcasing the breadth of her culinary experience and influences. The pastries and baked goods are simply exquisite – a must try!

Bake On

Chances are you’ll want to order one of everything when you walk into North Oakville’s Bake On. The Korean-inspired bakery’s menu is studded with tasty pastries you’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere — honey butter croissants, biscoff s’more cookies, and matcha basque cheesecake, to name a few. What Bake On is best known for are their stunning New York rolls, which are circular croissants each filled with a flavoured velvety custard.

Jaeho Kim, a professional chef, and Sea Yie, an avid baker, are the husband-and-wife duo behind the year-old bakery. The couple moved to Canada from Korea a decade ago and take inspiration from Korean cookbooks and social media recipe videos. They’ve nailed down the art of adapting their creative baking approach to trends.

Bake On started as a small family-run business but has grown into a thriving community hub. “We’ve expanded into hiring more staff and enjoy connecting with regulars who often come in every day,” says Yie. “I’m very happy to have opened in Oakville.”

Kelly’s Bake Shoppe

Many people are shocked to find out that Kelly’s Bake Shoppe’s menu is 100 percent gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and peanut-free. According to co-founder Erinn Weatherbie — who started Kelly’s nearly 13 years ago with her mother, Kelly Childs — the pair’s goal has always been to create the most delicious allergen-friendly desserts.

Turning classics into something new and exciting is what the bakery does best. Their red velvet cupcake, for example, uses beet juice to colour the batter rather than artificial dyes, which gives the cake an earthy, well-rounded flavour.

“We never want to lose the integrity of the product, so we use the highest quality ingredients,” Weatherbie says. Their regularly featured brookie cupcake is an all-time best-seller, featuring a chocolate cupcake with house-made cookie dough inside, frosted with chocolate buttercream and topped with a mini chocolate chip cookie and brownie.

Kelly’s expanded from their Burlington flagship location to Lakeshore Road in Oakville last December. “From the other business owners, to customers and downtown residents, we’ve felt such a warm embrace since the day we opened,” Weatherbie says.

Bakeries are a tasty example of what happens when artistry and entrepreneurship collide. Here’s to the pastry chefs and kitchen wizards who keep our tastebuds alive!