> TOP OF THE HILL BAKERY Imagine having an award-winning pastry chef create something exquisite especially for you and your guests. “It’s my pleasure,” says Jeff Stoveld, executive chef and owner of Top of the Hill Bakery in Orleans. “Custom cakes – the more unique the better – are my favourite things to make. I like to think of them as edible art.” Cordon Bleu trained, Jeff took over the popular bakery in 2011 and has refined and improved its delicious offerings. The preservative-free treats are so popular and reasonably priced that it’s best to call ahead to enjoy your favourites. In addition to gorgeous cheesecakes and tarts in a variety of flavours and sizes, Jeff and his team have a particular passion for chocolate. Top of the Hill’s glutenfree Grandpa’s Fudge Brownies are best-sellers, and perfect when paired with a scoop of artisanal
A TRIO OF TEMPTATIONS FROM TOP OF THE HILL BAKERY
ice cream like Adriana’s. One of their prettiest items to put on a dessert plate would be CocoaBella, a layered treat composed of chocolatealmond dacquoise, strawberry coulis, bittersweet chocolate cookie crumbs and milk chocolate caramel, dipped in dark chocolate. A similarly impressive finale would be the equally decadent J’adore Chocolat; a chocolate sablé cookie covered with fresh raspberry compote, topped with their fudge brownie and wrapped in chocolate glaze. With his extensive culinary background, Jeff can easily recommend the perfect dessert, both in terms of flavour and richness, to complement any menu. “Our goal is to provide a dessert that enhances your event or occasion,” says Jeff. “We’ve actually had clients with tears in their eyes when they see what we’ve created just for them. As a baker, that feels pretty special.”
LIFE OF PIE’S RUSTIC BLUEBERRY PIE
> LIFE
OF PIE
It took a stint as a personal chef to make Kerry Duffy realize that what she really loves is baking – particularly pies. She launched Life of Pie as a home-based business eight years ago and now occupies a cheery storefront in Old Ottawa South where her sweet and savoury treats fly off the shelves. Rustic-looking and packed with flavour, Life of Pie’s creations include custard tarts, fruit pies, carrot cakes, brownies and more. For fall, Kerry and her team are looking forward to reintroducing pumpkin and pecan pies, and will happily be making up to 500 pies per day at Thanksgiving. They love coming up with unique combinations to keep the pie-making interesting and fresh. “Sometimes our new best-sellers come as a result of customers’ suggestions and we are always experimenting.” Some of their innovative
creations include currant crumble, pear-vanillabrown butter, Rocky Road and triple berry crisp pies. They’ve also had a lot of fun playing around with cupcakes – intriguing offerings include pina colada, lime coconut and blueberry pancake with maple syrup icing. “I don’t love cupcakes, personally,” explains Kerry, “so they have to be truly outstanding or we won’t sell them.” Life of Pie offers a rotating menu of flavours which is available online. They bake by request with advance notice and you can order a pie to bake at home. “I have never tasted pie this good,” is a comment Kerry hears most often and one that makes her enormously proud. “I learned how to make pies from my mother and have always loved to feed people. Whether you make it yourself, or purchase it, serving handmade food is like giving a gift to your guests.” FALL 2013 ottawaathome.ca 49