Michael Holland, Atelier’s pastry chef, will be opening his own shop in Hintonburg.
Holland, known in foodie circles as the “pastry overlord,” will be serving up desserts, pastries, milkshakes, and sundaes at a new shop in Hintonburg.
Holland’s Cake and Shake will be near the Parkdale Market, at 229 Armstrong Street, in the former location of lulu&coco (who is moving to Aylmer). There’s no firm opening date, but it will be some time in the Spring.
Holland and his friends spent eight months scouting locations around Ottawa, but Hintonburg was the area he liked the most.
“I like the feel of it, the stores, the shops, the community, it’s just a really nice area with a lot of foot traffic,” says Holland. He’s banking on local residents dropping by, and hoping it becomes a destination for people outside the community as well.
Known for his original confections – his “Elvis truffle” is made of peanut butter, banana ganache and bacon – Holland is looking forward to incorporating seasonal ingredients from the Parkdale Market into his sweet offerings.
“I’m making fun desserts, for people of all ages,” says Holland. “For adults I want to invoke a feeling of nostalgia, with things they had when they were growing up. I plan on using a lot of different cereals, candies, soft drinks – I’m not concerned about fat or sugar content, I just want to make things that taste really really good.”
Don Chow, a resident of Mechanicville and co-author of the popular blog, foodiePrints, is looking forward to paying a visit to Holland’s Cake and Shake when it opens.
“In a neighbourhood saturated with bakeries, new entrants will have to stand out. Chef Holland, with his penchant for unpredictable desserts, may well set himself apart,” says Chow. “On a whim, he brought the cronut to Ottawa, topping his with Fruit Loops. He readily combines flavours and textures to dazzle and amaze.”