Toulouse goes to heaven with his butter tart
I’ve travelled from Bangkok to Paris and quilted my way across North America, from Florida and Lunenburg to Vancouver and Laguna Beach. I’ve come to realize during my travels that the best experiences are the ones you aren’t looking for; the ones that tease your peripheral muse with pure magic. And they always appear in the most unlikely places.
Yesterday, a sultry wind swept through the city of Toronto, luring us to the countryside in search of a pastoral drive with the top down and some cool drinks. Pigcat had heard about the Creemore Springs Brewery, a micro-brewery that specializes in small batch seasonal beers. It was the perfect outing.
Pigcat packed a small panier with iced tea and some Petit Ecolier gourmet biscuits. We slid into my ToulouseMobile and sailed up the Airport Road to Creemore, a village nestled in the rolling hills of Ontario’s western Niagara Escarpment agricultural region.
A stranger with a stranger smile dispenses our kellerbier
Our keen noses scented out Creemore Springs Brewery on Mill Street. A tanker truck was filling its load in front of the small brewery. We chuckled at the sign on the truck’s backside that proudly proclaimed: “A Hundred Years Behind the Times”.
Norma's cafe
After an informative tour of their charming facilities, Pigcat and I tried their new seasonal Kellerbier, an unfiltered, naturally cloudy brew that packs a zesty full-bodied flavor. The brew master adds Special German whole-leaf hops late in their brewing process to produce a wonderfully aromatic beer with a hint of citrus and spice on the palate. Greg Clow of Taste Toronto claims this new beer “is not only the most unique and interesting beer they’ve ever brewed, it’s also one of the best beers to be launched in Ontario in recent history.”
Rich ambience of cafe-bakery greets Toulouse and Pigcat
Feeling rather peckish, we strolled past shops and galleries and let our paws stop beneath the unassuming green sign that read simply “Café”. The awning above the double red doors gave us more information. It read “Affairs Catering & Café”. Something about the century-old building, the cozy tables out front and original red storefront windows invited. We glanced at one another. On a whimsy we entered and I immediately knew: this was why we’d come to Creemore.
Toulouse delights in a Reunion Island coffee
Roy Orbison’s warbling voice filled the spacious café with nostalgia. I felt like Marty McFly in Back to the Future, as I gazed around the russet brick walls, tastefully adorned with 1950’s vintage memorabilia. Artifacts ranged from kitchen implements my mother used to old signs advertizing extinct products and funky sayings like “Espresso Yourself!” I realized that I’d stepped back in time to when Pigcat was born. “It feels like home when I come here,” one customer later confided to me.
Norma makes exquisite gourmet sandwiches
We sidled past the displays of exquisite pastries, cakes and breads to where Sam took our order from behind the counter. I chose a BLT with cheese and home-style coleslaw, prepared for us by owner, Norma Panzini. We watched as Norma created our gourmet sandwiches using hearty ingredients: juicy tomatoes, lettuce, thick slices of pepper-spiced back-bacon on grilled Panini bread.
Affairs Bakery & Café is a life-long dream of Norma’s. “This is my whole life,” she confided. Norma graduated from Ryerson Polytechnic institute where she specialized in the hospitality services program. After several years managing and developing standards and best practices for the food industry, she moved to Creemore with her family in search of a quiet lifestyle and launched her café bakery soon after. Her dedication to quality foods and impeccable practices translates to the products she uses and sells, including Fair Trade organic coffee, 100% in-house baking, and use of seasonal produce.
Mousse tarts and cherry cheesecakes
Affairs Bakery & Café features espresso and regular organic coffees blended and roasted by Reunion Island Coffee Limited in Oakville, ON, and freshly ground for customers. Reunion Island roasts small batch coffee from around the world to match the rare, exotic and distinctive hallmark of their orchid logo, itself a universal symbol of elegance and uncommon beauty. Affairs Catering promotes Reunion Island coffees certified organic by OCIA and by the Rainforest Alliance, whose exacting standards ensure high caliber coffee farmed and produced to conserve biodiversity and provide sustainable livelihoods.
I chose the Organic Sierra Verde, a Rainforest Alliance smooth medium-rich full-bodied blend with buttery chestnut tones that mellowed to a citric acidity. To go with my coffee, Norma insisted I try her signature dessert: the butter tart. I was in kitty heaven! The pecan butter tart sent my soul soaring. I might have burst into harmonizing with Buddy Holly. Pigcat didn’t let on; she was humming her own tune.
Norma and Toulouse discuss the merits of butter tarts
Come to Creemore for this alone: Norma’s exquisite pecan butter tart and great Fair Trade coffee.
After directing us to Mr Norman’s Nephew Ice Cream Parlor at Wasaga Beach, Norma informed us that very August Creemore puts on the Copper Kettle Festival when the street shuts down to all but foot and paw traffic for some stomping fun, entertainment, food and drink. The party happens August 27th & 28th this year. Don’t forget to stop at the Affairs Catering Bakery & Café to claim your very own butter tart!
Contact Information for Affairs Catering Bakery & Cafe: Telephone (705) 466-5621; Fax (705) 466-5624; http://www.affairsbakery.com/
Creemore Springs Brewery: 139 Mill Street
Creemore, Ontario
Canada L0M 1G0
Tel: 1-800-267-2240
or 705-466-2240
Fax: 705-466-3306
Email: thefolks@creemoresprings.com
The Rainforest Alliance: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/
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