A Baker's Bliss in an Old Chelsea Casse-Croute
The next time you drop into the M and R Casse-Croute in Old Chelsea for a poutine or pogo, expect the unexpected.
“A lot of people told me you’re out of your mind,” laughed Paco Gomez.
Gomez is referring to the reactions he received after announcing he was setting up an artisan ‘pop-up’ bakery inside the restaurant.
“They said ‘who’s going to a casse-croute to buy bread?”
The answer: a lot of people.
Open just four months now, customers line up for the baker’s mouth-watering croissants, Danishes and pastries; his delicacies snapped up in less than two hours.
Photo by Joel Haslam / CTV News Ottawa
“He sells out on the weekends. You have to set your alarm to get here before it’s all gone,” said one customer, in line before the shop opened.
“The product quality is outstanding and Paco’s customer service is amazing,” said customer Ian Clark.
“It’s a wonderful addition to the community.”
There’s always a waiting list to purchase a loaf of Gomez's crusty sourdough.
“I can make thirty bread a day. And I have probably ninety-five customers just for the bread alone every weekend,” said Gomez.
Gomez is a former banker turned baker.
“It’s something I became passionate about and loved to do every day. It’s not a job,” he said.
Photo by Joel Haslam / CTV News Ottawa
He studied at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in British Columbia.
“And that’s when my culinary career began.”
Gomez worked in several Vancouver restaurants, did a stint at the Wakefield Mill, and then began baking at an Old Chelsea gourmet café.
“I met Manuela who owns Biscotti and I was there for seven years.”
However, when Paco turned 50, someone asked him a question that would change his life.
“They said ‘would you regret not having your own boulangerie?’
“It really hit me. I realized, yeah, I think it’s time I had my own business,” he said.
Photo by Joel Haslam / CTV News Ottawa
But Gomez didn’t have a space for that business. That’s when he stopped into the M and R Depanneur and Casse-Croute at 152 Chemin Old Chelsea.
“You have to go for your dreams. You have to follow your heart. So, I met the owner, Martine, at the M and R and asked her about this crazy idea,” said Gomez.
“I said ‘please rent me a table?’ I want to do a pop-up,’ And she was crazy enough to say ‘yes’,” he laughed.
“And since day one, the support has been insane.”
Gomez launched his business just four months ago. He begins baking at 2 a.m. and opens his doors at 8 a.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
To keep pace with demand, Gomez has ordered a bigger oven. It doesn’t, however, fit in his existing space in the casse-croute.
Photo by Joel Haslam / CTV News Ottawa
He knows he needs to grow, but doesn’t want that growth to be at the expense of his product, or vision.
“For me, the product is number one. It’s about the craft. I don’t care about the look or business cards,” he said.
“I care about buying the right ingredients, using the right techniques and challenging myself every day.
“I don’t want to be a businessman. I want to be an artisan.”
The artisan, husband, and father of three, is confident his business will unfold as it should. He knows the decision to start his own bakery was the right one, for him and his growing family.
“I told a friend that if I got hit by an asteroid tomorrow, I’d be proud because I’d die doing what I wanted to do,” said Gomez.
“I’m just really thankful to the community of Chelsea for supporting and believing in me. I’m happy I get to do what I love and make a living from it. That’s the ultimate dream.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.