When you’ve been baking for 15 years and finally open shop, you’re going to be pretty excited.

Recommended by people in a local neighbourhood Facebook group, my roommate and I decided to go to Esther's Cakes N Sweets on a Tuesday morning before starting work. Located at 1335 Carling Ave., it is the sole food service on the first floor of an office building. Esther, the owner who works both front and back of house, has been baking for 15 years and it was her dream to open a cafe. That dream became reality in May 2023 when she found an excellent opportunity to lease a spot in her own neighbourhood. Not only does she get customers from her building, but she also feeds nearby construction workers and people from the community.

This was our first time here and didn’t really know what to expect. It is a small space with just two two-seater tables. She has a breakfast, lunch, and dessert menu and is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the time of publishing.

To satisfy our simple, greasy breakfast cravings, we got the breakfast sandwich on whole wheat toast for $5.95. Esther informed us it was one of the most popular orders. Egg, bacon and cheese is really all you need with a cup of drip coffee.

As we were eating, people flowed into the shop and Esther knew a lot of the customers by name. Once we finished our breakfast and were about to pay, we decided we needed to try one of the famous baked goods she’s spent so much of her life working on. I opted for the vanilla biscoff—Esther’s personal favourite—and my roommate tried the classic red velvet. They were fresh, delicious and satisfied our sweet tooth.

When we told her we wanted to feature her business on Eat the Strip, she was absolutely delighted; especially since she’s only been in business for about eight months. As we chatted, we found out that she does a homemade lunch special every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This includes anything from mac and cheese with barbecue chicken, chili with cornbread, spaghetti and meatballs.

We will be back—not just to get more baked goods and to try one of her lunch specials, but to also get a chance to chat with the gregarious Esther again.