CHARMAINE SWEETS – 2015

http://www.charmainesweetsstudio.com/
115 Vanderhoof Ave, East York, ON M4G 4B4

This building had an existing  had a painted sign on it for a long time, before this most recent one it was a business that taught music to children and so the sign read “The Children’s Music Room”.

The new establishment, Charmaine Sweets, is a cafe and bakery. They also provide baking classes. Charmaine Sweets wanted to boost their curb appeal and this mural achieved their goal. You can now see the place of business from the major street Eglington Ave, which is a major artery for Toronto, running from east to west. The storefront is clearly visible whether you are traveling east or west. Additionally, even if you are travelling north or south on Brentcliffe Rd, there is additional signage on their west-facing wall that commands attention of these passersby.

After their in house designer completed the design, our team carried out painting it by first projecting the image onto the wall at night. This work is typically conducted with a small crew. We used a BENQ digital projector for the projection and it only took us a few hours to get the image traced onto the wall.

The following day, a 3-man crew hand painted the drawing we had done the night before. We used Behr exterior paint for this project. First, we taped off the drawings to achieve a very crisp outline. For the long curved lines, in addition to the drawing from the projection the night before, we also used a French curve which allows us to achieve great accuracy. A French curve is a special template which is comprised of many different curves – used in the proper manner this tool allows us to paint immaculate curves.

Charmaine Sweets also chose to paint an interior mural – we painted their business logo in their classroom area. Those chose to place it right above the table where some of the teaching happens. The logo is also visible as you enter the store. Deciding where to place the mural included a detailed consultation with Charmaine Sweets, which included some mock-up placements.

ABOUT CHERMAINE SWEETS

Chermaine Sweets is a bakery in Toronto, Canada. The owner of the bakery is Teresa Ho. Chermaine Sweets offers pastries, and specialty cookies to the residents of Leaside, Toronto. The bakery has a wide array of fresh cookies and unique baked products that make it a favorite for many clients in Toronto. Teresa Ho runs the bakery and also bakes some special homemade treats. Besides offering guidance and leadership at the bakery, Teresa also offers baking lessons. Students who take up the lessons have the opportunity to learn and get expert tips on the best baking methods.

The Journey

Teresa Ho started her baking journey right at home. She used to bake from home and soon, friends and family noticed that she was really good at baking. People started to know her because of chiffon cakes that she baked so well, topping them with fruit and lightly sweetened whipped cream. The orders came thick and fast, and Teresa had to look for extra space to bake more of her delicious treats. A renovated kitchen studio in Leaside is today known as Chermaine Sweets.

At Chermaine Sweets, ingredients are a crucial part of the baking process. The bakery ensures that they use only fresh ingredients to bake their products. The bakery avoids artificial flavors and fillers in their products by using the best seasonal ingredients. The bakery has managed to build a large client base mostly because of the methods that they use to bake their products. Teresa has great baking skills which include French techniques. She also has skills in classic pastries. Together with her passion, Chermaine Sweets has continued to be a top pastry shop in Toronto.

The Best Menu

The menu at Chermaine Sweets is designed to suit every customer. Clients have the freedom to choose from a wide variety of breads, macarons, signature cookies, and baked goods. From the menu, you can also select from a host of gourmet sandwiches, tarts, and pies, cakes and drinks. Every day, there is freshly-baked artisanal bread available after 11 am. The signature cookies are baked using the ingenuity of the baking experts at the bakery. To accompany the baked delicacies, there are hot and cold drinks available at the bakery.

Chermaine Sweets opens Tuesday to Saturday, 8 am to 6 pm. One can eat in, or order for pick-up. The bakery, however, offers no delivery service because they believe that deliveries will not guarantee the integrity of their products. Baking classes are also available at Chermaine Sweets. Teresa Ho personally trains and offers interactive sessions to the learners, giving them the best baking tips.

Baking was practiced for very many years, as early as 3000 B.C. Wheat is the main ingredient, although some people used barley or oats. People still don’t know why doughnuts have holes in them.