A Toronto baker just opened her dream bakery and documented the entire process
A baker in Toronto just opened the doors to the cafe of her dreams, and she documented the entire process of creating it on social media.
It's all too easy, especially in a city like Toronto, where new businesses pop up endlessly, to imagine that they just miraculously appeared there, as if they bloomed from an unseen bud on a particularly warm evening.
That is, quite literally, the opposite of how any business comes into fruition, though. In reality, it takes a major investment of time, energy and money for aspiring entrepreneurs to turn their dreams into reality. With issues of licensing, zoning and renovations, this is especially true for food-based ventures.
No one knows this reality more than Janessa, the founder of Queen West's freshly-opened Maison 118, a self-described "dollhouse cafe" that's all pastel tones and picture-perfect pastries.
The bakery and cafe officially opened for business on Sunday, May 3, and while its cutesy interiors exude an air of curated effortlessness, Janessa's personal Instagram account, where she documented the entire process of opening the bakery, tells a slightly different story.
From documenting herself cleaning out the grimy leftovers from the space's previous tenants, to pondering ideas on how she can give back to the community her business is opening up in, Janessa spent the months leading up to the bakery's opening getting real about the whole process.
In one video, she candidly shares that her parents, restaurant owners themselves, advised her against joining the industry, but she always had a dream of opening her own place.
Maison 118, she explains, is an ode to that little girl who dreamt of opening the bakery and cafe of her dreams.
"Over time, I realized it wasn't just about the food, but about how the food makes people feel, and the way it holds people together, the memories it holds, the moments you just don't rush through," she says.
"Maison 118 became my way of creating that. It's a space that feels a little bit nostalgic, a little bit elevated, and reconnecting with a softer version of yourself."
At Maison 118, you can expect to find a full lineup of matcha and coffee-based beverages, alongside a suite of whimsical cakes and pastries plucked straight from your inner child's imagination.
Maison 118 is located at 709 Queen St. W.
