Savvy Company is all about showcasing LOCAL and that’s why we love to discover locally made gourmet goodies to put into the parcels of Canadian cheese that we deliver every month to our Savvy Cool Curds subscribers. We also include gourmet goodies in many of the special gift packages we create for customers marking a special occasion, like a birthday, anniversary or sending a thank you gift.
One of our latest local gourmet discoveries is the Britannia Bakeshop at the corner of Howe Street & Britannia Road in west Ottawa. This little gem just opened its doors a few months ago, yet owner Gisele Paquette has been preparing for this adventure for many years.
Gisele has been making jams & other preserves for most of her life – she even used to teach canning workshops. You may have met her at one of the local farmers’ markets, as her first company – Gingham Wisdom – has been selling several different types of jams, preserves and pickles for some time. She started that business in her own home kitchen, and then moved to a bigger rented kitchen and last year, when the opportunity arose to start her own business in the Britannia neighborhood where she lives, she jumped in!
“I had met so many wonderful local food makers & baked goods makers through the local markets that I decided to make my business more than just a jam & pickle store and expanded into baked goods,” says Gisele. “I love to collaborate and saw this as a great way to help other small local businesses grow to their next level.”
The Britannia Bakeshop has its own baker on staff, but it also offers up some delicious goodies from other Ottawa small bakeries & a couple of bread makers too!
As for the delicious jars from Gingham Wisdom, Gisele says she’s doing more canning than ever. Gingham Wisdom products are featured in the store, including what she calls ‘old fashioned pickles & relishes’ as well as a few different jams with a modern twist…like her Blueberry Lime Jam, which is great on toast but also exceptional on cheesecake!
Savvy Cool Curd subscribers can look forward to seeing more of Gisele’s tasty creations in future parcels.