160 Baldwin Street - Unit 7B, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3K7 | Check our store hours
The Making of CRUMBS GOURMET PATTIES
The journey of Crumbs Patties Inc. has been an interesting one, to say the least. During his annual visits to his mother's native Jamaica, the Crumbs founder, Pierre, first fell in love with the Jamaican beef pattie as a young boy. With a bag juice in one hand and a Tastee's beef patty in the other, for him, it was love at first bite!
As a teen, he would stop traveling to Jamaica with his mother. Instead, choosing to hang around Toronto with his friends over the summer break, leading to a decade-long hiatus of eating patties in Jamaica.
When Pierre finally returned to Jamaica and was introduced to the ‘beef & cheese patty’** at Juici Beef Patties, he had his ‘ah ha!’ moment. His brain’s engine started roaring and the wheels began to turn. He started to consider the possibilities. Eventually, on one of his regular visits to Jamaica, Pierre was introduced to the 'Mother's Patties' brand and its impressive variety of patties. This sparked something in him and led him to the idea of creating his own pattie brand.
So here is Pierre with this *great idea* to bring unique & exciting pattie flavours to Toronto. Unfortunately, he had no previous baking experience and absolutely no idea how to even make a pattie. Ironically, his late mother was an excellent baker and had her own business making cakes and pastries. But, as irony works, he never took an interest in baking while she was alive...except, of course, to taste the finished product.
And so, Pierre decided he needed to start from scratch. Every day after his 9-5 he'd put in countless hours in the kitchen experimenting with dough and fillings and watching videos on the art of pattie making.
​
​Eventually work got too demanding and he had to shelve the research and idea.
In 2009, he resurrected the concept and attempted to open his first store. He thought he’d found the perfect location on Elm Street, but after putting in several offers on the space, the deal never went through. Within a year and a half, that same spot was eventually leased to another company, a pattie business. Instead of getting upset, he turned his disappointment into a lesson and decided to use that pattie shop business as a model he could improve upon. Instead of being discouraged, he turned his disappointment into an opportunity and decided to take the time to strengthen his business plan and tighten his operating model.
Through research Pierre came across several pattie manufacturers who were keen to partner with him, but only using their own patties. While he did build strong relationships with pattie heavy weights, he declined the offers. Pierre’s goal was to learn how to make a pattie from start to finish and essentially change the way the pattie is viewed and eaten in Canada. He eventually connected with his now mentor (a long-time Jamaican patty manufacturer), who took him under his wing. Over the past 6 years, Pierre has become his protege, learning the legacy of Jamaican pattie-making.
​
Fast forward to 2016, Pierre suffered a few injuries in the previous years. While recovering from one of his surgeries and being let go from his job due to a company takeover, Pierre had a lot of time to think about his next career move, and one morning he decided to watch CityLine. During a segment all the guests were talking about their comfort foods and the host said her comfort food was a patty and coco bread. And again the light went on!!! Pierre started working on the concept again. But as the injury healed, he started putting out feelers again for a new job, and again he shelved his pattie idea.
In 2017, Pierre found work but his previous injuries ultimately forced him to modify his duties and to slow down. During this period, things started happening. The universe started showing him signs again. Then finally, late one night while riding the TTC, he found himself on an empty train except for a woman that sat directly across from him. She was eating a pattie with a huge smile and crumbs falling all over the place. That was the moment Pierre decided to dust off the shelved concept and pursue his dream of building his own pattie brand. And so, Crumbs Patties Inc. was born!
16 years in the making, 5 different store locations since 2018, and Crumbs Gourmet Patties Inc. is finally ready to show Toronto and the world what it has been missing: a modern and fresh pattie shop, for innovative tastes with unique and delicious flavours.
Crumbs Gourmet Patties Inc. is a reminder that dreams are worth pursuing, to listen to your mother and the universe. Timing is everything!
#ThankYouMom #Crumbspatties #MessyCrumbs #LeaveYourMark
** Note: If you order a 'beef & cheese' patty in Jamaica, you are likely to receive a warm smile and a polite correction: You mean a cheese patty!**