Since the launch of the new vegan menu, Avril Café customers can get their hands on the sweet delights of Chloé Sckoropad, a young entrepreneur from Granby who breaks the rules of traditional patisserie in her own unique way.
Making health a priority
Chloé has been a vegan for almost eight years. This way of life came to her in a very natural way: "I was overweight and I had to regain control of my health. I started to work out and to watch what I ate... Then, one day, it dawned on me: I had not eaten a single animal product in a long time. And I felt so good! My sleep, energy, mood and skin had all improved so I wanted to know more about veganism. When I became aware of the ethical values behind it, I was hooked". Her only concern? Not being able to make desserts, one of her biggest passions. "At the time, vegan pastry-making was not as well developed as it is today. I had to start from scratch and review my baking techniques through a lot of trial and error", she recalls.
From passion to profession
Before founding her company CloClo Choco in December 2015, Chloé worked as a hostess for a post-production studio in Montreal, where she served coffee and pre-frozen pastries. Until she one day suggested to her boss that she brings homemade cookies and muffins instead. Customers liked it so much that they started placing orders. "It got to a point where I had to cut down my working hours at the studio and cook from my tiny apartment in order to meet the demand", she says. Soon after, she created her website and Facebook page, quit her job and moved to Granby, where she opened her own bakery shop in June 2016. "Every day since, I feel like I'm the luckiest entrepreneur in the world! People who buy my desserts - whether to celebrate a party, a christening or a wedding, always have a happy smile on their face. To offer them one of my cakes is to bring them a moment of happiness, an opportunity to come together and celebrate. And that's I know I have the best job!"
Baking vegan desserts
Although they remain treats, vegan desserts are much healthier. Why? Because they are made of ingredients with a nutritional advantage (such as whole grain flours, natural sugars, unsaturated fats, etc.). Furthermore, these desserts are accessible to people with food allergies or intolerances such as eggs, milk, bovine proteins... "This represents one third of my clientele", says the self-taught pastry chef, who also offers gluten-free products.
What is the miracle ingredient in her recipes? Ground flax seeds. "I love using them to replace eggs when I make muffins, brownies, and so on! As a general rule, the ratio is one tablespoon of ground flax seeds for three tablespoons of water. I let it rest five to ten minutes so that it gellifies until it reaches the texture of a beaten egg. Otherwise, the best advice I can give is to not be afraid to try new things and do research on the web. There are a lot of recipes and blogs created by people who have already done the all experimenting for us. It’s a great ressource!"
CloClo Choco x Avril
When the Avril Café team suggested that Chloé sell her desserts at the new vegan counter, the young lady was delighted: "My mother (Julie Marchand, fitness coach) has always been a health nut. And as we live in Bromont, I grew up going to Avril, I grew up with Avril. Having the chance to sell my products here means a lot to me. It's like celebrating my birthday, and Christmas and winning the lottery at the same time!" Since October 2017, Avril Café's customers - in Brossard, Granby, Lévis, Québec and Sherbrooke - can buy Chloé's vanilla and chocolate cupcakes, as well as her Queen Elizabeth Cake, one of her best selling desserts.
(Note: Chloé also makes other cakes, cookies, muffins, whoopie pies, pies and donuts that she sells online or in store at 33 rue Azarie-Côté, in Granby.)
