11.03.2015 Views

Meet Alex

Meet Alex Kinsman, owner, pastry chef and visionary behind Saving Thyme in Burlington, Ontario

Meet Alex Kinsman, owner, pastry chef and visionary behind Saving Thyme in Burlington, Ontario

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

EDITOR'S<br />

NOTE<br />

Ask my friends and family and they'll tell you that I am an enthusiastic and frequent consumer of restaurants<br />

and cafes. I just love to sit at a table in a cafe or a restaurant and soak up great food, an inspired<br />

decor and have lengthy conversations about which southern city I'll be visiting next. You could easily<br />

characterize me as the Marco Polo of restaurants...I'm an explorer of eateries!<br />

That's why, when I heard that <strong>Alex</strong> Kinsman's fabulous cafe, Saving Thyme, had opened its doors I made<br />

certain to be at her table within the week.<br />

To say I fell in love the moment I walked into her airy, bright, beautiful and altogether charming cafe would<br />

be an understatement. I swooned and exclaimed and was pleased to see that my friends were equally<br />

smitten.<br />

The stunning grey and white palette of the walls, abundant throw pillows and overstuffed chairs warmly<br />

welcomed us. Everything was perfectly in place, transporting us effortlessly to Paris and all the pleasure<br />

that evokes.<br />

The food? Nothing less than stellar. I could go on and on about the Soup de Jour (Mushroom) or the Chicken<br />

Salad Sandwich elevated to gourmet heights on <strong>Alex</strong>'s artisan Onion Bread or the Roast Beef sandwich with<br />

the most delightful sweet onion jam, or I can't forget the Frites and their companion, the most addictive<br />

mayonnaise I've ever had.<br />

How can I not wax on about the desserts that are <strong>Alex</strong> Kinsman's crowning glory? The signature macaron<br />

cookies we enjoyed, fresh out of the oven and stuffed perfectly with glorious Salted Carmel. The chocolate<br />

eclair that had us searching for words more emphatic than "Delicious!" ... and the Lemon Meringue ... the<br />

most perfect use of a lemon ever.<br />

But the real magic of Saving Thyme is the combined effect. The menu complemented by the ambiance,<br />

which is complimented by the warm and genuine service which is only outshone by the radiant couple (<strong>Alex</strong><br />

and Phil) who are the proud purveyors of this wonderful new eatery.<br />

If you are anywhere Burlington, Ontario you must step into Saving Thyme on Appleby Line (near New<br />

Street). Park your car and be swept into <strong>Alex</strong>'s beautiful, savoury and sweet world. I just know you'll fall in<br />

love just as we all did!<br />

PS. Read the Spotlight that I had the pleasure to write on <strong>Alex</strong> Kinsman a few months prior to the opening<br />

of Saving Thyme. You'll see why I say, the woman behind Saving Thyme is as delightful and fresh as the<br />

delicacies she creates.


" Mangez bien,<br />

riez souvent,<br />

aimez beaucoup"<br />

Eat well, laugh often, love abundantly.


So you’re feeling like a real<br />

smarty pants today?<br />

Not so fast there brainy.<br />

1<br />

Where parents rank in terms<br />

of a prodigy’s development<br />

3<br />

The age Amadeus Mozart<br />

began playing piano<br />

4<br />

The age Amadeus Mozart<br />

began playing the violin


8<br />

The age Amadeus Mozart<br />

wrote his first symphony<br />

11<br />

The age Amadeus Mozart<br />

wrote his first opera<br />

1956<br />

The year Bobby Fischer won the<br />

US Jr Chess Championship<br />

16<br />

The age of Bobby Fischer when<br />

he became the US Champion<br />

11<br />

The age of a Harvard frosh<br />

named William James Sidis<br />

2<br />

The age William James Sidis was when<br />

he was reading adult-level books


SPOTLIGHT<br />

MEET ALEX<br />

There are some people who are so talented, fresh and genuine that they hold a special place in your memory.<br />

<strong>Alex</strong> Kinsman, chefpreneur is one of those rare people. There are two reasons she is unforgettable to me:<br />

1.She is one of the brightest, most optimistic and talented entrepreneurs I’ve met.<br />

2. She fed me. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of having <strong>Alex</strong> create a meal for you then you know what I mean.<br />

I met <strong>Alex</strong> at a tradeshow in Burlington and I was so smitten I arranged for her to come to home and cater a small<br />

dinner party. What transpired was nothing short of enchanting. She arrived at my home, transformed my dining<br />

table with her own crystal, china, silver and flowers she brought and then got to work in my kitchen preparing a<br />

meal my guests and I would not soon forget. Did I mention I didn’t lift a finger to make the dining room look so<br />

divine and the kitchen so fragrant?<br />

My dinner guests and I enjoyed a five-course meal that <strong>Alex</strong> and her team created specifically for the season and<br />

the casually elegant mood we had in mind. She paired local wines to each course. Every step of the privately<br />

catered event exceeded my expectations in terms of ease, style and most important of all taste. My experience<br />

in my home courtesy of chefpreneur <strong>Alex</strong> ruined me for mainstream dining out. And anyone who knows me,<br />

knows just how particular I am about my food!<br />

Without further ado, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to <strong>Alex</strong> Kinsman and her company, Saving<br />

Thyme. I truly loved meeting this amazing young chefpreneur who is also a style maven, a genuinely wonderful<br />

person and someone you definitely will want your own kitchen very soon!


SPOTLIGHT<br />

Q&A<br />

Advice you’d give a chefpreneur just starting out:<br />

There are definitely going to be rough spots, but the feeling of accomplishment when you<br />

meet your goal is so worth it … it’s so great. And I’d say to never be afraid to seize<br />

opportunities as they come to you.<br />

<strong>Alex</strong>, tell me about where you are right now from a business point of<br />

view.<br />

My company Saving Thyme is busy catering private<br />

events in both homes and business settings while we are<br />

putting the finishing touches on our newest enterprise.<br />

Everything you do is special. Tell us about your new enterprise!<br />

We are in the final stages of opening a retail store in<br />

Burlington, Ontario called Saving Thyme Catering &<br />

Patisserie. It’s going to be really wonderful!<br />

Tell us more!<br />

We are creating a beautiful space that’s reminiscent of a<br />

cafe in Paris. Patrons will experience the warmth of Old<br />

World charm the moment they walk through our door.<br />

I love it already. So what kind of magic will you be creating for your<br />

patrons?<br />

High end pastries, breads, sandwiches, desserts; all like<br />

you’d get in Paris. In the morning, clients can come for<br />

their morning espresso with pain au chocolat, still warm<br />

from baking. At lunchtime, they can enjoy a glass of wine<br />

with beautiful bistro-style fare. After dinner, we will be<br />

doing a dessert menu unlike anything in the area and<br />

paired with artisan cocktails.<br />

I heard my favourite word in there … bread. Elaborate...<br />

I love making authentic, amazing bread. The same breads<br />

that have been making appearances at all of our private<br />

catering events for years will be spotlighted in the store.<br />

These are the breads we have been perfecting since the<br />

beginning.<br />

All made in house?<br />

Of course! Part of what really works with the combination<br />

of private catering and having a storefront cafe is the<br />

commercial kitchen. We can use the space to bake all of<br />

our breads and pastries as well as to create the menus for<br />

all of our events.<br />

The other day you said something about a bread wall. I’m curious<br />

now!<br />

In the new store there will be a bread wall on top of this<br />

stunning antique dresser. You’ll find Wild Rice and Onion<br />

bread. You’ll find our famous Sourdough. The list goes on<br />

but they are all the best bread you’ve tasted. One of<br />

them is cold proofed and develops over four days before<br />

it’s baked.<br />

Four days before baking?<br />

We take our time to develop the flavours. Another one<br />

that we’re so proud of is our Sourdough bread. It really is<br />

my baby. I get requests for all of our breads over and<br />

over from our private catering events. The sandwiches<br />

we’ll have on the menu are all made from our incredible<br />

offering of breads. I have no doubt our breads will be a<br />

star of the show when we open.<br />

Speaking of opening, when can I be sitting in your cafe?<br />

Our goal is to open in early 2015.<br />

There is one creation that truly sets you apart, what is it?<br />

Macarons. These are delicate, beautiful and delicious<br />

cookies that are familiar on the Paris scene but not so<br />

well known here. I intend to change that. I have<br />

developed my macaron recipe over the years and it is<br />

uniquely my own. I’m very proud of everything we will be<br />

serving but the macaron was my starting point in French<br />

Pastries so it is definitely special to me.<br />

“<br />

I always say “Yes” and as a<br />

result I have amazing clients.<br />

Say yes and go for it!<br />

- ALEX KINSMAN<br />


SPOTLIGHTBIO<br />

NAME:<br />

<strong>Alex</strong> Kinsman<br />

BORN IN:<br />

Toronto, ON<br />

WHERE YOU CALL HOME :<br />

Burlington, ON<br />

BUSINESS :<br />

Saving Thyme<br />

Why do you love macarons?<br />

It is hard to find authentic macarons that have been<br />

executed well. The macaron is an iconic french pastry and<br />

I’m looking to bring them to this area, to introduce<br />

people to things they haven’t had before. The macaron<br />

gives you so many opportunities, we can make them big<br />

or small and our flavour and colour options are limited<br />

only by our imagination.<br />

So if Saving Thyme had a trademark…<br />

(Laughing) The macaron! That’s my trademark without a<br />

doubt.<br />

The pursuit of the elusive, perfect macaron:<br />

I don’t remember how I came across my first macaron but I<br />

loved them at first sight and first bite! As a pastry chef they<br />

are something to constantly work at and perfect. I tried many<br />

recipes before I came to the one that works. I had to do that<br />

- it’s a lot of trial and error, finding the specific procedure and<br />

the right equipment. Now i make them so often and i have a<br />

recipe I’ll never change … it’s my trademark.<br />

Talk to us about the idea of bringing tea time back …<br />

(Laughs) Yes, it’s time for Tea Time to come back!<br />

Everything about it speaks to me … the ritual, the<br />

daintiness of the offerings, the mood, the history. High<br />

Tea is warm and nostalgic and Saving Thyme will offer a<br />

place for patrons to connect with those feelings.<br />

So Tea Time isn’t just for Grandma anymore?<br />

Grandmothers, mothers, daughters, granddaughters…<br />

part of what is special about gathering around tea is that<br />

it transcends age. We’ve already started booking bridal<br />

showers, baby showers, engagement celebrations, and<br />

birthdays for our Tea Parties. They appeal to everyone<br />

who wants to add beauty and style into their everyday<br />

life or a big event!<br />

Let’s say it’s 9pm, what will you have in store for me at that time of<br />

the night?<br />

We’ll be an amazing place for a late night dessert and a<br />

beautiful digestif…the cafe at night will be a different<br />

kind of experience than the area has right now.


PRIVATE DINNER PARTY<br />

The Influence Factor design team created a collage of my private dinner party so you can have a hint of that wonderful evening. All you’ll be missing<br />

is the tantalizing smells coming from the oven...the sounds of wine glasses clinking...and all the laughter that accompanies fine wine, fine food and<br />

wonderful family around the table.


SPOTLIGHT<br />

That sounds incredible.<br />

I designed every aspect of the new store myself. It is a<br />

reflection of my own style and my attraction to all things<br />

pretty but also delicate and unique. The store is a<br />

collection of my love for pastries, breads, food, design<br />

and serving people so they have an unforgettable<br />

experience.<br />

CONTACTALEX<br />

You’re clearly inspired. Who has inspired you in terms of food?<br />

I would credit Tomas Keller of the French Laundry and<br />

Pierre Hermé as my main inspirations. I take their<br />

inspiration and then make it my own. As well, my work<br />

with Quatrefoil in Dundas formed who I am as a pastry<br />

chef and as a chefpreneur. They taught me how to bring<br />

the best out in myself creatively and in the power of<br />

having a strong vision.<br />

Any one philosophy you adhere to in everything you do?<br />

I’m in line with Tomas Keller and Pierre Hermé when they<br />

say “Keep a very very clean environment. Always take the<br />

extra steps to bring your offering to the next level.” That<br />

translates to paying attention to the details. For example,<br />

we have this great trick for making our gougères come<br />

out exactly, wonderfully the same each time.<br />

A trick? Can you share?<br />

That’s my own little secret. You’ll have to come in and<br />

enjoy the results!<br />

In the big picture is the store going to replace private catering?<br />

No, the two are very compatible. In fact, it’s a perfect<br />

marriage for us. Our commercial kitchen will be housed in<br />

the storefront so it can handle serving patrons and our<br />

catering needs together. Catering is always going to be a<br />

fundamental part of Saving Thyme.<br />

Any other plans?<br />

We plan on wholesaling our specialized breads, gougères,<br />

macarons and pastries to restaurants. We would be a<br />

restaurant’s off-site pastry kitchen so more local<br />

restaurants can offer spectacular dessert menus.<br />

And lastly, one thing most people don’t know about you?<br />

I can write beautiful cursive on a cake with icing but not a<br />

pen!


Every week a little birdie<br />

tells our editor about the<br />

hottest tips, trends and tidbits.<br />

Enjoy bite sized news to make<br />

your week and your weekend<br />

chirp right along.


Fernando de<br />

Noronha, Brazil<br />

Great Blue Hole,<br />

Belize<br />

TOP<br />

PLACES TO<br />

SCRATCH SCUBA<br />

OFF YOUR<br />

BUCKET LIST<br />

O<br />

Red Sea,<br />

Egypt<br />

Andaman Sea,<br />

Thailand<br />

Molokini Crater,<br />

Hawaii


DON’T MISS OUR NEXT ISSUE:<br />

click here<br />

to subscribe for free!<br />

Do you have what it<br />

takes to be featured in<br />

Click here to start building<br />

the Brand of You now.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!