Montreal's homemade doughnut shops sweetening the city's foodscape
Homemade doughnut shops seem to be gaining in popularity, and there's no sign of stopping at some of Montreal's most in-demand spots.
Bernie Beigne has been satisfying the sweet tooth of Montrealers since its opening in 2021.
"We've just constantly been growing. One of our biggest challenges here is managing the growth," said co-owner Dean Giannarakis.
Though flavours like matcha white chocolate or grape Hubba Bubba are more of the cutting-edge variety, the Mile-End shop's co-owner said they owe their success to the old-school approach.
"It's a small family business," he said. "Everyone is somehow related or connected from many years ago."
The window-facing glazing station is also a nod to old-fashioned bakeries, which is a nostalgic experience for some.
"Doughnuts, really homemade doughnuts, really existed when I was a kid in Montreal," said food critic Lesley Chesterman. "And then I saw all those homemade doughnut places disappear when the chains took over."
Chesterman added that the loss of these shops left Montrealers craving the baked goods.
In Montreal's NDG neighbourhood, restaurateur Terry Axiotis noticed a void in the market and decided to fill it.
"I think people still like that feeling of seeing people make a fresh donut in-house, all the time from scratch," said the Homer's Donuts owner. "So because you're doing it from scratch, I think people feel like, you know what, it's worth it."
He said good dough is the key to success, in his opinion.
"It's really good dough," said NDG resident Dale Charles. "It's moist."
Charles was hooked from her very first visit when Homer's Donuts opened at the end of March.
Line-ups are now a daily occurance at both shops, and some customers will travel to get a dozen.
"Honestly, it's just all the flavours that are available," said Stephanie Couillard, a Laurentians resident. "Especially for our kids. They love all the colourful ones."
Chesterman now considers homemade doughnuts a staple in the city.
"Maybe right now it's a little trendy with these stores, but it's not like things, you know, even something like tacos,". he said. "Is tacos a trend? No, because if they're good, they're good and they'll always be there."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.
What's causing the catastrophic rainfall in Kenya?
The torrential rains and deadly floods that have hit Kenya since March have been some of the worst in the country in recent years. Here's how factors combined to create the deadly deluge.