St. Albert is enjoying a resurgence of good restaurants, however it has a shortage of top-tier pastry chefs.
For that reason this year’s opening of Macarons & Goodies on St. Thomas Street adds another layer of distinction to the city.
Step into the boutique bakery and the atmosphere sparks an immediate impression of a Parisian pastry shop. The glass chandelier, romantic music, French décor including a replica statuette of the Eiffel Tower, and faint fragrance of sweet pâtisserie all contribute to the ambience.
On this particular day, a couple sits at a table doing puzzles. At the opposite end, a woman relaxes on a couch, delicately sipping coffee while tapping her cellphone. The vibe is one of blissful serenity.
Eyes rapidly shift to an elegant glass showcase filled with the shop’s signature French-styled macarons. Spoiled for choice, the shop carries 28 flavours as well as numerous artistically designed single serving cakes, tarts, éclairs and croissants infused with delicate flavours. The delectable desserts rival Edmonton’s reigning Duchess Bake Shop – without the lineups.
At a quick glance, it is evident Tunisian-born owner Fadoua Derbel sets the bar high. The internationally acclaimed pastry chef’s confections are sophisticated, melt-in-your-mouth desserts suggesting both artistic and commercial success.
It soon becomes evident that ingenuity and whimsy have always been key tools in her pastry chef’s bag of tricks. She is part of an enterprising generation whose skills go beyond simply coming up with a new way to present tiramisu.
Not only is Derbel hatching her own recipes and dreaming of new ways to make desserts appealing. As a pastry chef, she has stepped out from the shadow of traditional food chefs who rule kitchens and is making her own mark.
Background
Derbel’s homeland is a moderately tempered region renowned for its almond crops and nation-wide reputation at producing the best pâtisserie.The eldest of five children, Derbel quickly became mother’s helper and by the age of nine she had collected enough recipes for a personal collection.
“I love everything from A to Z. I love the preparation. I love the smell. And I love how people say they like it,” Derbel said.
A companionable family tradition encouraged all female members to gather on Sunday to make decorative Tunisian pastries. At the day’s end, the treats were divided into portions for every contributor.
“Baking was so simple and delicious. I still do Tunisian pastry for my family the same way my mother did.”
Even as a child Derbel focused on becoming a professional pastry chef, eventually attending the prestigious Institut Supérieur d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme de Tunisie.
The school codifies classic French cuisine and provides a solid foundation for French pastry. To create the myriad of complex desserts, Derbel learned each of the critically important techniques. Upon graduation in 1998, she was designated a Master Pâtissier.
At the Tunisian culinary institute, she also met husband Akram Hasni. Although the program pushed students to the limit, the institute’s hefty credentials also provided a leg-up in finding jobs.
Initially the duo found employment at pastry shops. Gradually their prominence grew and they were hired to open Dar Ismail in Tabarka, a five-star beachfront hotel boasting three restaurants and two bars.
The Dubai experience
By 2004, a scout for the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai put out calls for highly qualified professional pastry chefs. Both Derbel and Akram applied. Both were accepted.“It’s a very luxurious country. The infrastructure, the roads,” noted Akram Hasni, adding that the couple were met at the airport by a limousine.
At the time the Grand Hyatt was the go-to destination of the ultra-rich, boasting 682 sumptuous rooms with breathtaking views of the city skyline and 17 restaurants.
“It would take 20 minutes to drive around it,” added Derbel.
The hotel employed about 2,000 people alone to handle food and beverages. Hasni was one of 15 pastry chefs within his restaurant.
“For the first six months we only met in transition. We had different chefs and different schedules,” he said, speaking of his wife.
In addition to feeding thousands on a daily basis, the Grand Hyatt was outfitted with a huge ballroom for weddings and special occasion events.
“At least every other day there was a wedding of 2,000 or 3,000 people. The average wedding expense was $1 million,” Hasni said, adding the hotel was booked the entire year.
He explained that in addition to providing housing, food, transportation and cost of living expenses, the company also paid employees three times their annual salary in bonuses.
The couple had signed three-year contracts and after the dates Hasni moved to The French Bakery before eventually being appointed executive chef at the internationally acclaimed Fauchon Dubai. Fauchon’s reputation rests as one of the world’s best luxury pastry shops.
“You can compare it to Dior or Chanel,” explained Derbel, adding that celebrities worldwide dine at Fauchon. That career stepping stone also turned Hasni into a culinary superstar.
“People would stop him in the mall and ask to take his picture.”
One of the boutique bakery’s most sought-after indulgences was the gold cake, a sweet delicacy dusted with 24-carat gold.
“People like to show off they’re rich and they buy gold cake. A miniature cake would cost $12 and we couldn’t keep up,” laughed Hasni.
Meanwhile, Derbel applied her skills at Paul Bakery, a boulangerie that baked French-style breads, cakes, tarts and assorted pastries.
She transitioned to Paul Dubai in 2005 as a pastry chef working hard to prove her capabilities. As the Dubai locations grew from one shop to seven, she was promoted to production pastry manager. In the Arabic world's male-dominated kitchens, this was an unheard of precedent.
“I was the only head chef woman in the Middle East,” Derbel stated with a note of pride in her voice.
On the surface the culinary power couple was leading a dream life. However, even paradise sprouts a few blemishes.
“We decided to come to Canada where it’s a better life for our kids. In Dubai, you cannot get citizenship or open a business,” Hasni said.
He explained that foreigners residing in the United Arab Emirates are not legally permitted to operate their own business without the sponsorship of a citizen.
In return for lending a name, sponsors take 50 per cent of profit without contributing resources, money or labour to the business. Some citizens earn a living operating solely as business sponsors.
On to Canada
Although the couple and their two daughters loved Dubai, they packed their suitcases and immigrated to Alberta, an oil and gas-based economy similar to the Emirates.Compared to Dubai's sun-soaked heat, Alberta’s cold, winter months with its long, dark nights was a rude awakening.
“When we first arrived, it was a shock. But we took it positively. It was very hard, but we made it through by hard work,” Hasni said.
For a period, he was employed at the Edmonton Petroleum Club and Chateau Louis Convention Centre before receiving a big break as the inaugural executive pastry chef for Rogers Place.
“It was a challenge to get it up to the standards and expectations for the NHL. I was in charge of everything,” smiled Hasni.
Working with a team of 12 pastry chefs, the pastry kitchen baked enough sweets for the 57 suites and theatre boxes, players’ buffets, backstage requests, à la carte dinners, media junkets, staff meals and more.
Meanwhile Derbel was baking and running the couple’s first Macarons & Goodies that opened in downtown Edmonton in November 2016. Hasni assisted whenever possible, but eventually the stress caused his health to deteriorate. Three months ago, he resigned from Rogers saying, “ I was very proud to be part of the team. It was a dream team.”
While he continues to manage the Edmonton location and provide custom-made pastries to the Oilers, Derbel handles the St. Albert shop.
Although the couple may use traditional French techniques, they stay relevant by experimenting with new flavours, some never dreamed of before.
Macarons & Goodies is a welcome part of the pastry shop boom in a region where dessert-centric food lovers eagerly sample new trends – especially those created by a blow torch and produce a sugar buzz.
Near the end of our conversation, Hasni says, “This is our passion. We share this passion and to be honest, I am happy to come to work every day and bake. I make everything with love.”
