MEDIA
THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW
In 2018, The Butternut Baking Co. was featured on The Marilyn Denis Show and was selected to participate in a “High Tea Bake-off” contest. Inspired by their humble beginnings, Michelle and Chris created the ultimate “high tea at the cottage” theme. They were thrilled that the judges loved their concept and were beyond excited when they won a trip to London, England!
TORONTO STAR
“You know you have a valid business idea making sugar-free, grain-free and all-natural baked goods, when you end up serving a customer the first slice of cake she’s had in 50 years.”
Front Page of the Toronto Star, Business Section
By Diane Peters
Friday, June 17, 2017
“You know you have a valid business idea making sugar-free, grain-free and all-natural baked goods, when you end up serving a customer the first slice of cake she’s had in 50 years.
“Fifty years is a long time,” says Michelle Moraes, co-owner of the newly opened The Butternut Baking Co. on Dundas St. W., east of Keele St.
That customer was a longtime diabetic — and wrote Moraes and business partner Chris Curtis a thank you note after eating a cake slice, which did not impact her insulin levels.
The Butternut sells baked goods based on the paleo diet, so they don’t include any grains or sugar. Many are also dairy free or completely vegan (so no eggs or dairy). So it appeals to those on a limited diet, including gluten free, ketogenic (an anti-cancer diet) and paleo. . . .”
CANADIAN LINEN
Were you always into baking?
Growing up, my grandmother introduced me to baking. She made everything so magical! I grew up learning how to do traditional flour and sugar baking. It wasn’t until much later that I decided to take what she taught me and transform it a little bit. When I was a teenager, my first job was at a bakery in a grocery store. I went to university for something completely different and eventually steered myself back to the love of food.
You opened your storefront about four months ago. Talk about the journey to get there.
It all happened pretty fast! Last summer I was looking for employment that I would be passionate about and that meant something to me. My business partner, Chris, and I went Paleo a few years ago for health reasons. It changed our entire worlds. And we realized there wasn’t really access to health-inspired baked goods without cane sugar and grains that are diabetic and ketogenic friendly.
So we started developing recipes and eventually went to farmers markets to test out our ideas. They were received so well. In January of 2017 we decided to take the leap, which was pretty terrifying. Baking equipment is expensive! To help with costs, we put together a Kickstarter campaign, and it was so successful! We had over 60 contributors. We couldn’t have opened without them. It took a whole village to open our doors!
GLUTEN-FREEDOM INC.
BLOG T.O.
BEST PUMPKIN PIES IN TORONTO, #2 Oct. 2020
BEST CUPCAKES IN TORONTO, Nov 2022
TOP 10 UNDERRATED BAKERIES FOR CAKE IN TORONTO, July 2022
BEST GLUTEN-FREE BAKERIES IN TORONTO, Feb. 2021
TOP 10 BROWNIES IN TORONTO, Jan. 2018
TOP 10 GLUTEN-FREE PIES IN TORONTO, Jan. 2018
BEST DONUTS IN TORONTO, Nov. 2017
TOP 50 ESSENTIAL BAKERIES IN TORONTO, #20 Oct. 2017
SERIOUSLY GLUTEN-FREE
Aalia Adaams interviews co-owner Michelle Moraes to find out more about the kind of baking The Butternut specializes in. See what goes on behind the scenes of the bakery in this video!
