On a sunny market day it’s a delight to stroll through the farmers’ market tasting, smelling, admiring and sampling the fresh produce and handmade goods.
But on days that the sun doesn’t shine, when all we want to do is grab our bread and eggs and hide, those are the days that define the resilience of our favourite sellers. They’re ready for us week after week, unfazed, no matter what’s happening on the other side of the stalls.
That persistence characterizes the journey of La French Taste, a few blocks south of Alberta Avenue.
Anthony Cucchiara and Julien Dallaine came to Edmonton from Metz, in eastern France, and Paris respectively, after Dallaine was recruited here to work for a local landscaper. During the off-season, he started baking brioche and selling it door to door in Windermere. With encouragement from friends, they established a presence at the Bountiful Market before opening La French Taste cafe and bakery in November 2023, offering both sweet and savoury treats.
Growing their operation at a deliberately slow pace gives them breathing room to navigate the challenges of starting a bakery. Cucchiara says, “we save up and then buy the next thing for the kitchen, then work and save and buy the next thing,” with long-term goals in mind. They hope to build out the front of the cafe with more decor items and seating.
Cucchiara says: “We want to blend together French tradition with Canadian culture to make a home here.” After a significant renovation of the old La Favourite bakery location on the corner of 114th Avenue and 95th Street, he and Dallaine created a welcoming space with a bright, multicoloured hand-painted mural, shiny polished concrete floors and local artists’ work on the walls. Family flew in from France to help finish the renovation — from gutting to refinishing.
Cucchiara has experience with Marriott Hotels and pastry maker, Ladurée. The staff who run the front counter exude open-heartedness and the group fosters community among neighbours and artists who have made it an informal gathering place for coffee and pastry. The cafe has recently launched a Polaroid campaign, in which customers are photographed, with a plan to create an art installation using those images.
The menu features hazelnut-chocolate brioche, gourmet egg bites, quiche Lorraine, cream puffs, mille-feuille, cakes, tarts and croissants. The writer’s personal recommendation is the French Roll, a rolled croissant dough garnished with custard, dipped in icing sugar and paired with black French press coffee.
Another farmers’ market vendor has recently opened up a storefront shop. The Dining Car Cafe is located on the main floor of the CN Tower. Jon Comeau started with smaller food projects like Woahnuts, waffle-doughnuts that he sold at markets around the city. Comeau also started the Preserve food truck. And he paired up with Adam Stoyko to create Wafflebird, serving chicken and waffles, and fried chicken sandwiches in a take-out shop behind Whyte Avenue. It’s been a lot of work, jumping between locations and starting their latest venture, a collaboration with Tabletop Games on 124th Street. Diced is a place where the pair hopes to really experiment with food and cocktails.
Comeau’s favourite food project so far was Preserve, which he took to festivals, markets and private events, and in the winter he took over catering and concession services at the Jasper Place Curling Club (pro tip: food truck workers have taken over curling kitchens, so the food is often great). “The camaraderie between food trucks is like nothing else,” he says. “When you’re in the weeds with a couple other trucks on a hot day trying to feed all those people, there’s nothing like it. Those are the guys you bond with.” He compares it to those Friday night shifts serving at a family restaurant in his college days.
Each location has its own character and menu. The Dining Car Cafe is a simple lunch spot with fresh-made sandwiches, snacks and coffee. It features one homemade entrée daily. Wafflebird riffs on chicken and waffles and fried chicken sandwiches on brioche. It’s currently takeout only, with plans to relocate to a full-seating location just off Whyte Avenue later this year.
From careful beginnings with low overhead and small staff, these entrepreneurs have been able to scale up slowly and thoughtfully to create thriving brick-and-mortar businesses. Their journeys have been rocky at times, and Comeau says the permanent spot provides both a regular cash flow — and peace of mind. “The food truck world is a bit wild west — you basically show up and hope it doesn’t rain,” he laughs. “The big difference between that and a brick-and-mortar is consistency. You get to know the customers more, and if it’s a slow day, it doesn’t ruin my life.”
This article appears in the June 2024 issue of Edify
