To make the mouth-watering delicacies her namesake patisserie is known for, chef Nadège Nourian pulls the kind of hours that would make even a Bay Street litigator cringe. She’s in the kitchen from 4 a.m. to nearly 5 p.m., six days a week.
“I get up at 3:10 exactly,” she says with a tired laugh. “Those extra 10 minutes make the difference.”
She used to work much later, as late as midnight sometimes, but scaled back her hours when her baby, Ewan, was born last year.
“Now that I’m a new mom, I’m trying not to stay too late. If I do 12 hours, 14 hours, it’s very reasonable. And I go to bed at thesame time as the baby, so I’m OK,” she says. That would be 8 p.m. on most days.
Still, Nourian has her work cut out for her. She and Morgan McHugh — “we’re partners in business and in life” — opened the third location of Nadège last fall, in the Richmond-Adelaide Centre food court in the PATH. It’s a sleek, modern space with dark wood and bright pink highlights and a mouth-watering display case of their famous macarons. (Feeling adventurous? Definitely try the honey and brie.) It’s a far cry from the Tim Hortons across the hall, and with way better breakfast offerings. We’re partial to the croissant breakfast sandwich, which is so flaky you’ll need a bib to eat it, but it’s totally worth the mess.
The espresso alone is worthy of a pit stop on your way from Osgoode Station through to First Canadian Place. Nourian hired Momiji Kishi, an award-winning barista, to oversee the brew (locally roasted beans from Detour Coffee).
To satisfy the demand from its new corporate neighbours, Nadège refined its catering menu to include platters of mini sandwiches, quiches, desserts and larger salads for sharing.
Nourian herself is still in the kitchen at the Queen Street West location, baking every day. When she’s not, she’s in her office working on her next creation.
“My desk is a real mess — a lot of paper, a lot of ideas. I do little drawings, then I work on my computer typing out new recipes. Then I go to the kitchen and start making them. But I can’t tell you exactly what I’m working on right now, in case it doesn’t go well,” she says with that same tired-but-happy chuckle.
Meanwhile, her husband runs the other half of the business — bills, lease agreements and the design of each location. The two seem to handle the balance of sharing work and life with ease.
“I think it’s better like that because, the way we work, I don’t think I would ever stay with anyone else,” she says, laughing again. “At least we can see each other at work.”
The arrangement seems to be working. Nadege in the PATH is a big hit with the Bay Street crowd. The growth keeps Nourian on her toes in the best possible way.
“I think I’ve reached a point where I am nice and happy. I can make new creations, and most of the time people really appreciate it. To be able to do what you love most and share it with people who really appreciate it — I think it’s really neat to make a living out of that. I know how lucky I am.”
This story is from our Spring 2015 issue.