French-inspired desserts a tasty treat at Bakehouse

Walk into the Bakehouse Café and the first thing you are met with is a large cake servery filled with an eye-candy delight of slices, cakes, croissants, florentines, friands, tarts, mousse, and a plethora of other desserts and light meals.

Thanks to the hardworking efforts of Abe & Gizelle Patisserie, a family business in North Ryde, the array of Bakehouse desserts is a tantalising arrangement for the eyes and stomach and for most people, it is an envious predicament of selecting what to try next from the smorgasbord of choice!

Run by Abe Chalhoub and Gizelle Cortbawi, a husband and wife team who migrated to Australia in the 80s, their company has been supplying Canterbury League Club with their beautiful cakes and desserts since 2002.

“We chose to partner with Abe and Gizelle because they’ve proven to be great business partners for over a decade now; they treat Canterbury like part of their own family business and our success is their success. It’s as if they are an extension of Bakehouse Café, baking desserts and pastries on request, but just on a location offsite,” said Wayne Nolland, General Manager of Food & Beverage at Canterbury.

“I have known Abe and Gizelle for over a decade now and they have never faltered with any of their handmade creations which are made using traditional French methods. Their desserts are second to none, are of the finest quality, and they always use the best raw ingredients to make them.”

Patisserie has long been in Gizelle’s bloodline with three generations involved in pastry-making in Beirut, Lebanon since the 50s. The country’s economic and political instability in the 70s and 80s prompted a move to Australia where Gizelle was employed by the Sheraton Hotel Group to open and support their kitchens throughout the hotel chain while Abe, with his business marketing degree, worked in a separate department of the same group.

Eventually they left to launch their own family business and that’s when Abe & Gizelle Patisserie was born in late 1999. Initially baking from their home oven, four cakes at a time, in 17 years their business has grown to include two factories with a third one currently on its way – all supplying fabulous treats and refined French pastries to top restaurants, clubs and cafes around Sydney.

Bakehouse’s dessert menu has been carefully curated by Canterbury’s Food & Beverage Management Team working personally with Abe and Gizelle to create desserts that will reflect the café’s French Nouveau theme while at the same time, taking into account the sweet palate of Members and guests.

“Some of the desserts displayed in the servery are exclusive to Bakehouse Café as Abe and Gizelle like to work with only a limited number of cafes within a certain area. Abe comes in personally each week to check up on the desserts and pastries – what’s been selling well, what needs to be restocked and just to gauge how everything is going. He is a very hands-on type of guy and is constantly keeping his finger on the pulse to make sure Bakehouse is successful,” said Wayne.

There is a lot of choice to be had for diners looking to end their meal with a sweet dessert or as part of a coffee catch up with friends. Desserts and pastries displayed in the cake servery are constantly rotating so Members and guests will be delighted with the selection every time they come in. Gizelle’s favourite dessert of the moment is the coconut and mango mousse which she says is a definite must-try for this festive season – try it while you can at Bakehouse Café!

Bakehouse Café is open 24/7. View the menu here