Eatdrink #76 March/April 2019

10 | March/April 2019
eatdrink.ca |@eatdrinkmag
Spotlight
London Women in Food (2019)
Ten Talented Women Making a Difference
By KYM WOLFE
Photo by Alieska Robles, alieskarobles.com
Tabitha Bartlett
Co-Owner/Operator,La Noisette Bakery & Deli
“I grew up in a family that ate meat and
potatoes,” says Tabitha Bartlett, co-owner/
operator of La Noisette Bakery and Deli. “I
started experimenting with different foods
when I was about 10 — basic, but I had fun
with it. I reached a point where I couldn’t
teach myself anymore… I might be aging
myself, but it was before YouTube and Google
were the go-to for recipes. So I enrolled in the
culinary program at Fanshawe.”
Tabitha Bartlett & her daughter
Fast forward through graduating with a
diploma in Culinary Management, working
in the industry for more than 15 years, and
managing a large chain restaurant, all the
while holding tight to “massive dreams of one
day opening my own place.” Almost five years
ago she finally did, with business partner Dave
Coulter, an experienced Cordon Bleu chef.
“I love that food brings people together, it’s
common ground — no matter who you are or
what you do, where you’re from, you need to
eat. One good meal really can open up good
conversation,” says Bartlett. “When I was
very young, my grandparents nearly opened
their own restaurant. It never happened, but I
thought it was so cool at the time. It came back
to mind when I was talking to my mother about
growth for our business and what the next
year may hold for us, and she told me that my
grandfather would’ve been so proud of me. All
the memories of the restaurant-that-never-was
came rolling back. So now I feel a new sense of
purpose for what I do.”
Chandany Chen
Pastry Chef, Abruzzi Ristorante
Chandany Chen’s first degree was in Science,
and when she graduated she worked for a
while doing research for a company that
produced fertilizer. But she quickly realized,
“it was not for me. I only wish I had figured
that out a lot sooner!” Back to school she
went, and has since graduated from Fanshawe
College’s Culinary Management program
and worked in kitchens in London and Port
Stanley before moving to Abbruzzi Ristorante
a year and a half ago.
“I am currently the pastry chef at Abruzzi and
Chandany Chen