Treats with a twist

A variation of this post was first published on the Westboro Connection blog.

Right next door to Hintonburg is Westboro’s popular Strawberry Blonde Bakery which is serving up mouth-watering vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free treats

Stepping inside Strawberry Blonde Bakery to experience the warm and inviting specialty bake shop comes with a guarantee – you won’t be able to resist the temptation of their freshly made donuts. 

This is something that the many fans of this popular Westboro destination for vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free baked goods and desserts know quite well. But for skeptics of this style of baking, their first experience isn’t usually their last.

“I think there’s definitely a stigma around vegan and gluten-free food, and people may come in here expecting things to not taste as good,” says Jacqui Okum, Strawberry Blonde founder. “But when they have a donut or a cinnamon bun, they’re surprised.”

It’s this kind of positive response that keeps Okum baking high-quality, delicious vegan, gluten-free and nut-free goods – even if it means winning over one culinary skeptic at a time.

Vegan Baking

Okum’s passion for delicious treats is something she decided to turn into a career after living in Toronto a decade ago after noticing a lack of vegan dessert options. “I decided to open my own vegan bakery. I wanted to do it right, so I enrolled in the baking program at George Brown College.”
 

Meet the Owner of Strawberry Blonde

Once she and her husband moved to Ottawa, Okum began selling her baked goods at a market stall. “There wasn’t much of a choice for vegan desserts in Ottawa at the time,” she explains, “and a lot of people were asking if I had anything gluten-free or nut-free.” The response from her customers was so positive that Okum’s business evolved, within a year, to wholesale supply before finally opening up shop in Westboro.
 

Oh so many delicious choices

Today, Strawberry Blonde Bakery offers a mouth-watering selection of baked goods – everything from Nanaimo bars and more than a dozen cupcake flavours to cookies, cinnamon buns, and even heat-at-home pizzas and Tourtières. And that’s just for starters.

Eye-popping selection aside, it all comes down to taste. If customer reviews are any indication, Strawberry Blonde Bakery isn’t lacking in that department either. According to Okum, she just wants to make products that taste and look as good as their traditional counterparts. Most would agree that she’s accomplished that and then some.

About Discover Local

Time and time again, residents are drawn to Hintonburg Connection because of the thriving Hintonburg community. In the spirit of helping to maintain this community, our Discover Local program introduces Hintonburg Connection tenants to local business like Strawberry Blonde Bakery. We’re proud of our commitment to supporting local business and excited to bring the very best that Hintonburg has to offer to our residents.