Lorne Agugov
It seems lik the rest of Ottawa has now discovered the little secret that we here in Old Ottawa East (OOE) have known about since June 2023. Based on city-wide voting conducted by FACES Magazine, OOE’s very own Tartelette Bakery & Café has been crowned as Ottawa’s Best Bakery at the 2024 Ottawa Awards gala held recently at the Brookstreet Hotel in Kanata.
As one of five bakeries nominated for the award this past February, Tartelette’s owner and head chef, Sanaz Homa, was among more than 500 guests in attendance at the FACES gala in March, billed as the National Capital Region’s largest networking event of the year.
“I wasn’t expecting to win an award,” Homa admits in a recent interview. “It’s been less than a year since we opened Tartelette last June. I just wanted to enjoy the gala because I was there with my friends, and because I had already been nominated as one of the top five bakeries, so for me, it was like I had already won.
“But when I saw our name up on the giant board at the gala, once I knew that we had won, I was so happy, it was amazing – certainly one of the very best moments of my life!”
Tartelette Café and Bakery owner and head chef Sanaz Homa pictured inside her bakery proudly displaying her award as Ottawa’s Best Bakery 2024. Photo by Lorne Abugov
For Homa, merely being nominated was a stunning surprise, one that provoked an emotional response. “It was this past February, sometime in the evening that I checked my email inbox. There was an email from FACES Magazine saying that Tartelette had been nominated for the best bakery in town. “I had just finished a very long, very tiring and very bad day. So the moment I received and read that email, I burst out crying. I think it is the most surprising thing that has happened to me since I opened up this bakery,” Homa recalls.
But awards are nothing new to the personable head chef at Tartelette, who was decorated prior to opening her bakery as the gold medal winner of her student class in the pastry division at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa culinary school. Homa is a third generation chef and restaurateur, continuing a legacy of gourmet baking and dining that began with her grandfather who operated one of the most famous bakeries in his native Iran.
And while Tartelette is poised to celebrate its 1st anniversary at its location off of Main Street fronting the new Grande Allée Park, its reputation continues to grow with discerning pastry and coffee fans around Ottawa. According to Homa: “We have a long lineup of customers outside our bakery every Saturday and Sunday and, especially on Saturdays, it’s non-stop from 8am until 6pm.”
And she and her staff – which has now grown to 17, including seven pastry chefs – are gearing up for an even busier summer as the new and expanded OOE Farmers’ Market opens up just outside her front patio at the Grande Allée.
Homa keeps careful track of the popularity of her tarts, cheesecakes and bread products. Likewise, Tartelette customers have also made clear their preferences from among the delectable baked items on display each day. “Our most popular items are our chef’s specialty, the Shirazi Tart and the favourite new item is the “crookie”, which we introduced here in Ottawa two or three weeks ago.” Homa says.
“The Shirazi Tart is one of around 11 tarts we offer, and it’s the combination of pistachios and saffron that give the tart such an unusual and exotic taste. The “crookie” is a combination of chocolate chip cookies and a croissant, and it’s very trendy and popular in Europe right now. Other bakeries in town are now starting to make crookies. I’m really happy to introduce trendy things to Ottawa for the first time, and when I see other bakeries start to pick up on our lead it makes me even happier.”
Homa smiles as she discusses the support that Old Ottawa East residents have given to Tartelette. “Really, I think I found the best community in Ottawa. From the very start, I really liked this location, this neighborhood and the lovely people here in Old Ottawa East. They have always supported me, and I just can’t thank them enough for that support.”
Homa is far too busy as a chef, working up to 60 hours a week – and as a wife and a mother to her teenage son – to allow her latest award and the success of Tartelette go to her head. As she noted in an interview with The Mainstreeter in early 2023, opening up her own bakery was the dream of her lifetime and now, that’s a dream that has come true.
So, what’s next for Tartelette? For Homa, her next goal is growth. “My goal is to have lots of branches for Tartelette in Canada, and maybe even in the United States. I’m thinking to open a location next, maybe in Toronto or Montreal, or maybe here in Ottawa. But I will wait until at least the summer so that we pass one year in business. And then, I definitely will be thinking about that second location, and maybe franchising.
“It’s going to be a difficult challenge, but I am very good at finding solutions. My staff laughs at me. They say I have a solution for every problem. And they’re correct – but I have no choice, right?” her smile provides the answer to her question, as she excuses herself and heads back to the kitchen.
