After being laid off from her job and getting excited for her friend Deepika’s wedding Lisa decided she would make the wedding cake! With no experience Lisa delved into the cake world going to cake shows across the UK –she lugged home a suitcase of cake supplies from Manchester, and testing out recipes and making lots of treats for neighbours who could hear her baking in her tiny oven ‘til midnight. At the wedding, Lisa was asked if she had a business and she said, YES! Eek, she didn’t, but this is how her journey started. She got some international press for her Cake Box of the Week and started teaching cupcake decorating classes at her friend Clara’s little Italian café in Notting Hill and voilà her business was born.
She moved back to Canada and in 2011 and moved into her first retail space on Dundas West, with a beautiful view of Trinity Bellwoods Park. Between those cosy brick walls Lisa & her team taught classes each weekend and sold beautiful cakes and cupcakes out of their little space. People from all around the world have come for classes to celebrate an occasion or learn more about cake and many corporate team building parties have been held since day one.
Lisa hired fantastic pastry chefs to teach classes like macarons, pies, wedding cake decorating and the art of breads and chocolate souffles. Some of the most talented cake designers in the world have and currently work at the bakery creating wild and wonderful works of cake art.
In 2008, Lisa gave birth to her son and in the same year the bakery moved out of Dundas West into its new location on 12 Sousa Mendes where all of the classes and team building events take place. Our forever classroom home is a gorgeous two floor 2000 sqft studio space. And in 2008 Lisa and her team also moved into their current bakery home of 2700 Dufferin, Unit 13 where all of our baking magic happens.
The Le Dolci team has made cakes for celebrities like Drake, Mark Wahlberg & The Property Brothers and sports celebrities like Jose Bautista, Mitch Marner & Josh Donaldson have all had the bakery on speed dial. The dream customer for Lisa is Oprah so if you have her address she wants to send her a cake!
Over the years Lisa has worked with her sister Joy who ran the Culinary School for several years and her adored Momma Dolce who was with her from day one. Everyone got to meet Momma Dolce on Dundas West; she was always around offering a helping hand to all and also feeding everyone her home made pizza and pasta for lunch!
Today, Lisa has a wonderful team of pastry chefs, cake decorators and administrators who are in her opinion, the best in the world, and takes pride in each customer being treated like family.
“I would like every customer that walks in or interacts with us to feel like a member of our Le Dolci family.”
After 13 years in the business, Lisa hopes you and your family enjoy every cake, class and interaction with her team as much as she loves coming to work each day to create cake and classroom magic for you!
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