MILLIE DESSERTS
Millie Desserts: the beautifully international craze that’s becoming an instant local hit.
When big time traveller and full time dessert lover Christinn Hua founded Millie Desserts and Millie fête she could have never guessed that her internationally inspired sweets would be such a national hit. Lo and behold, a few mere months later and both sweet-sensations are taking the city, the country, and our sweet tooth by storm.
CBG: What made you want to start Millie Desserts?
CH: I have a huge sweet tooth, so I thought, why not start a business where I can taste test treats all day! But honestly, I travelled around the world and discovered so many delicious desserts. When I got back to Toronto, I noticed there were very few quality dessert offerings at the time and I wanted to make things that I couldn’t find in the city, inspired by my travels, so I started Millie Desserts in 2013.
CBG: How incredible! Well you definitely carved your own niche, and we couldn't be more thrilled that you did! Specializing in offering really delicious and unique desserts, you create scrumptious delicacies inspired from places all over the world that are guaranteed not just to look great, but to really taste great also. Tell us, what are some of the most delicious gems we can find in your shops?
CH: There are just so many options and our menu is often changing with the season and customer demand. We love getting feedback from customers and coming up with new concepts to delight them. Some of our always-in-stock staples, include our famous crepe cakes, which combine twenty lacy, paper-thin crepes with an ethereal pastry cream in between each layer, for a delicate balance of flavour and texture. Our crepe cakes have our own unique twist and come in a variety of flavours including Vanilla Bean, Matcha, Tiramisu, Black Sesame, Earl Grey, Maple Syrup, Kinako, Sakura and Hazelnut Chocolate. We also have souffle cheesecakes, cheese tarts, parfaits, sweet and savory crepes and creme puffs. Our variety of gelato flavours are also really popular and include a line of boozy gelatos that are perfect for the warmer months. We highly recommend following us on Instagram, where we keep our followers up to date on all our latest creations and special offers.
CBG: Ok so wow - you are basically just creating a whole world of mouth watering dreams. Your pastries and dessert offerings are so unique! What inspired you to take such a modern and unconventional approach to them?
CH: The same thing that inspired me to start Millie Desserts is what keeps our desserts and pastries so unique and unconventional - my travels. Through exploring other places and cultures, I see a lot of things that we might perceive as unique and certainly different from what is available in our city. I fuse all my favourite culinary experiences to create something new and interesting for our customers, bringing them a taste of my adventures here at home.
CBG: How remarkable while also brilliantly logical. We love how dedicated you are to enriching the lives of those within your local community. With that in mind, what do you think really makes Millie Desserts stand out from all the rest of the local offerings?
CH: Our formula for success isn’t groundbreaking but we work relentlessly at it to ensure we provide a quality product that is unique and consistent for our customers. Our standards are really high, we are known to start a batch all over again to ensure the resulting product is perfect, regardless of how far we are into the process.
CBG: Now that’s dedication!
CH: We’re able to get really creative with our offerings because of our deep experience in the industry, and the fact that we are one of the longest standing dessert brands in Toronto. We keep a variety of unique flavours on our menu at all times, providing our customers with something a little different and exciting. My team is heavily involved in all parts of product development and they provide a unique perspective due to their various backgrounds.
CBG: No wonder you’re such a hit! What is your favourite part of the baking process?
CH: The best part is seeing people try our products, after so many hours and iterations in the kitchen perfecting it. However, I get just as much fuel from the journey of getting there, the creative process of exploring new techniques and crafting new flavours. And then there are the happy accidents that result in products we wouldn’t have gotten any other way and have become customer favourites.
CBG: Those must be so satisfying! Ok, so aside from happy accidents, how do you come up with some of your other unique flavours?
CH: A lot of research, personal experiences and, of course, my travels. As well, our customer-first approach means we are constantly in touch with our customers both in-store and online and I love engaging with them to help create things that they continue to love.
CBG: It’s a no wonder everyone always loves everything you put out, you always seem to find ways to put them first. What are some of your top flavours?
CH: Where to begin? We have our staples but we also offer seasonal and limited time flavours, so it is so hard to choose. Every flavour we design caters to different palates and preferences. It all depends on the season, your mood and what you’re craving at the time. We have Vanilla Bean, Matcha, Tiramisu, Earl Grey, Black Sesame, Sakura, Kinako, Rainbow, the list goes on.
CBG: Talk about mega drool! Those all sound incredible! Aside from creating these mind blowing, mouth watering flavours we love how willing you are to align yourself with local partners and causes - what's one thing you always look for when aligning yourself or collaborating with someone or something?
CH: That initial spark, and shared values are really important. The people we collaborate with put the same emphasis on quality as we do. They are meticulous about each step and, like us, they really value the customer experience.
CBG: Sounds like there’s a strong pull towards passion, which is probably huge not just for those working in your industry, but especially for those working within your industry during this unique point in time. Obviously the wedding industry as a whole was hit pretty hard these past few months (what with COVID and all) - did that affect you at all and if so, how have you been able to adapt?
CH: The first time COVID became real for me was when a couple contacted me about the possibility of having to cancel their wedding. This was in the very early stages, before a pandemic was declared. They asked me to design a cake for a smaller celebration, in lieu of their big wedding. I was heartbroken for them but impressed at their initiative and happy to help them shift gears and still celebrate their love for each other.
CBG: Wow - yeah, that would have been quite surreal to hear before anything with the pandemic had even been announced. Did things changed drastically for you once it was?
CH: I would be lying if I said we weren’t hit hard. It has been difficult and desserts tend to be lower on the list of priorities when people are trying to navigate such an unprecedented event. However, we found, like many others, that this experience has brought people together in so many different and new ways. There are so many moments in life worth celebrating, even at a distance and we focused on staying part of these moments. We are continuing to help couples mark their various occasions, supporting micro weddings and taking pride, every day, in the ways we can remind people to see joy in the little things, until they can have big celebrations again.
CBG: How magical. We love how committed to love, couples, and your craft you are. With the wedding industry constantly evolving, we're constantly seeing hot new wedding trends for both couples and their guests to enjoy - what do you predict will happen to wedding desserts? Any delicious predictions on the directions they'll take?
CH: With the need to reduce party size for the foreseeable future, we see a return to quality over quantity, as well as more customized experiences, to infuse adjusted plans with extra special moments. For Millie that looks like more collaboration and consultation with couples to create custom flavours and designs, as well as the opportunity to involve them in more parts of the process, to ensure the journey is just as much of an experience as the final product.
CBG: Totally. Aside from some delicious take-aways, what do you hope people will take away from their experience at Millie Desserts?
CH: We hope people find delight in the small details, find new reasons and ways to celebrate and savour the moment. We hope that people pick up one of our treats for no reason other than to celebrate how beautiful and precious life is.
CBG: And THAT is exactly what we love about you. So with the hopes of spreading joy and celebrating life, if people want to get their hands on your yummy treats where can they go to find them?
CH: Our main location, 12 Oxley Street, Unit 101 (at King and Spadina) is open every day from 11am - 11pm. We are currently operating pop-ups at our Kensington Market location (161 Baldwin Street, Unit 6). Customers should follow us on social at @millie.desserts for more information when we are open at either of these locations and for any new pop-ups. For custom cakes and any dietary restrictions, we encourage customers to preorder at least 48 hours in advance, so that we can create their dream cake for any occasion. Orders can be placed over the phone or online at www.milliedesserts.com.
CBG: And what if people wanted more Millie?
CH: For those interested in our other offerings, beyond cake and gelato, check out our sister companies, Millie Market and Millie Fête. Millie Market offers pantry essentials, D.I.Y. kits, and other delicious snacks (our popcorn is very popular). Millie Fête is all about curating events for a diverse set of occasions, which people have had to rethink due to the current environment. Visit www.milliemarket.com or www.milliefête.com for more information.
We are also available on most major local delivery apps to satisfy those more immediate sweet cravings.
CBG: Amazing! Well thanks so much for chatting with us Christinn, it has been such a pleasure, and we cannot wait to see what other delicious endeavours you come with next!
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