Call the cake making and baking and late nights a form of meditation.
That’s how Arghavan Malekzadeh warmly envisions her venture Maple and Saffron.
Arghavan, or Lily for short, works in construction management during the day with Lopes Limited, but indulges in her love of cheesecake in the evening.
Malekzadeh, originally from Iran, has always been a lover of cheesecake. She arrived in Canada in 2020 to complete her master’s degree in Montreal, and that’s where she fell in love with the pastry scene there.
“There were so many unique and age-old shops and bakeries selling beautifully designed cheesecakes as well as melt in your mouth bagels and croissants.”
Malekzadeh gathered market research with help from the Regional Business Centre to see if her concept would work in the northern market.
Her business name, Maple and Saffron, was intended to create a fine blend of her cultural identity. The saffron and Persian rugs represent her home country of Iran, while the maple, obviously, represents her new home.
Malekzadeh started booking a table at the indoor market and even had a sell-out weekend there. She has displayed her cake slices at other maker’s markets as well, and word of mouth has been her best friend.
Malekzadeh quickly became known for two things: blueberry cheese cake with crumble and Basque-style burnt cheesecake with mascarpone and caramel sauce on top.
She tries to add something new and different to test the market each week. A recent experiment has been with cheesecake mousse.
“I love sharing and making mousse cakes. The first bite is always so full of flavour and it is much lighter on the palate,” she said.
Malekzadeh said another huge opportunity for her was to share samples at the Taste of Sudbury food and drink festival held in January.
“It was an opportunity for me to get to know the people of Sudbury and give back to the charity, Inner-City Home of Sudbury,” she said. “Sudbury has been so accepting and welcoming.”
March is a busy month for Malekzadeh, but by now she’s used to that.
On March 16, she was at the McEwen Nuit Blanche with other artists selling her cake slices.
It’s an annual free arts event organized by the students in the School of Architecture.
She’ll also celebrate Persian New Year with cheesecake, and fulfil whatever orders come her way for birthdays and other celebrations.
“Every night that I am baking, I go to bed at 2 in the morning, but I do it with a smile.”
With that, comes the hopes and dreams of one day treating Sudbury to a bakery where people can sample and stay a while.
She pictures a blue and white Mediterranean bakery with some purple that fits in with the Maple and Saffron logo she developed.
Maple and Saffron can be found on Instagram, Facebook as well as the website MapleandSaffron.ca.
Anastasia Rioux is a writer in Greater Sudbury. Let’s Eat! is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
