What’s my weakness? Salted caramel macaroons. They are my crack. And my favourite place to get them are at NADéˆGE (780 Queen St. West/1099 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON). I spoke with the Chef and Owner of NADéˆGE boutiques, Nadé¨ge Nourian, to get the inside scoop on their best-selling pastries, some Valentine’s Day ideas and to find out how their business is doing. Nourian is a fourth generation pastry chef from Lyon, France, and an acclaimed culinary talent. Recently she opened an e-boutique, so you can get your NADéˆGE favourites delivered across Canada.
Sara: Are you amazed by the popularity of NADéˆGE in Toronto?
Nadé¨ge: We knew there was a gap in the market for what NADéˆGE offers. To this day, we are amazed by how quickly we became a Toronto landmark, and by how strong (and supportive) our fanbase is.
Sara: How has business changed since you opened up your e-boutique?
Nadé¨ge: Opening the NADéˆGE e-boutique has certainly increased our sales and our reach (now across Canada), especially during the holiday seasons (Valentine’s Day being our second biggest holiday). Canada is at the beginning of a transition into e-commerce, so it will be very interesting to see where it goes in the next two or three years.
Sexy Pur Noir, $10
Sara: Your customers engage with you often through your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Has their feedback ever inspired a pastry?
Nadé¨ge: We certainly watch our sales closely and take in customer feedback to help us deliver the best experience possible. Here’s a fun example: we have a very loyal customer who comes in every other morning for a Pur Noir. We picked up on the fact that he had changed his regular order, and when I inquired why, he explained he had switched to a gluten-free diet. Since our Pur Noir cake didn’t have much gluten to begin with I decided to adapt the recipe and make it gluten-free.
Our social media channels allow us to communicate directly with our customers about the latest products and projects we’re working on. It’s nice to see (via likes, comments and shares) their support for what we do. We just launched @nadegetoronto Instagram and we’re having lots of fun with it!
Romantique Ivresse Heart Cake, $10
Sara: Since it is just around the corner, what are your best-selling Valentine’s Day pastries?
Nadé¨ge: Every year, I develop a Valentine’s Day menu with limited edition cakes, chocolates, macarons, and of course our award-winning packaging. This year is a little “sexier” than most, some of our popular items include the Romantique Ivresse Heart Cake and “Kiss” Pur Noir (available on Valentine’s Day, in-stores only), our chocolate bonbons with lips, and of course our macarons are always a popular choice (especially now that they ship across Canada).
Sara: What is your favourite Nadege pastry?
Nadé¨ge: I love chocolate, so the Pur Noir is my favourite. I also enjoy an apple streusel in the morning.
