There's a pudding business secretly operating out of a Toronto cocktail bar
Though poutine and pizza tend to get all the glory when it comes to bar foods, there's a new business in Toronto serving something entirely different out of a local cocktail bar: pudding.
Call it a recession indicator, but pudding has been having a real renaissance lately, thanks, in no small part, to the 2024 craze of combining burgers and banana pudding. Hey, whatever works!
For Aaron Wolfe, founder and owner of burgeoning Toronto pudding business Sawft, though, his love affair with the dessert first began years ago.
"The first time I had banana pudding was about a decade ago, and I was immediately hooked. It became my go-to dish to bring to holidays and gatherings," Aaron tells blogTO. "I've put a lot of care into refining my recipe over the last decade, and have spent too many hours obsessing over texture, ingredients and flavours."
And, while there's no shortage of bakeries, burger shops and restaurants in Toronto that do the sweet stuff justice, Aaron explains that he always knew he could do better — and he has good reason to believe that.
See, if there were such thing as a sweet treat nepo baby, Aaron, the son of a former candy factory worker and award-winning baker (his mother is behind Newmarket's Maid's Cottage), would be it.
Coupled with over 15 years of experience of his own in food and hospitality, it's safe to say that Aaron knows a thing or two about what people want to eat.
Not content to stop at just banana pudding, Aaron has carved out his niche creating unexpected, though always delicious, flavour combinations. He tells blogTO that banana pudding with Cinnamon Toast Crunch whipped cream, mango pudding with basil whipped cream, and strawberry pudding with maple whipped cream.
"My goal has always been to create new and exciting flavours of pudding while still maintaining its integrity; after all, banana pudding is a humble dessert," he explains. "I've found particular success in infusing cream as a vehicle for flavour."
Nowadays, Sawft operates out of No Notes Cocktail Bar (Field Trip Cafe by day), keeping bar patrons fed during the busy periods. It's an unlikely pair, sure, but one that works nonetheless.
"I got to know the team of 4 who run [No Notes] by frequenting for post-work drinks with coworkers," Aaron tells blogTO.
"They were incredibly generous by offering to support Sawft after learning I had just started the business and was looking to try and start shopping around to local businesses."
As Aaron continues to grow the business, he's setting his sights towards getting his desserts into more local businesses and cafes, but, he tells blogTO, he'd love to eventually open a brick-and-mortar of his own.
"I've dreamt of having a small place like the Sam James Coffee Pocket where you walk up to the counter, grab your pudding, and go," he says.
For now, you can find Sawft at No Notes Cocktail Bar (3 Westmoreland Ave.) every Thursday through Monday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.
And then? "World domination."
After all, according to Aaron, 2026 is primed to be "the year of pudding."
@staysawft/Instagram
