France-Trained Patissier is Setting Up a Plateau Vegan Bakery

Watch out for promising pastry on the Plateau, as a new nook offering all-vegan doughnuts, tarts, and more is set to open on Duluth this winter.

Patisserie Dugout comes from pastry chef Marie-Charlotte Dugout, an import from France with diplomas in pastry and chocolate earned through her work with Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF)-recognized patissier Arnaud Larher, known for his stores in Paris.

It’s not Dugout’s first outing into vegan desserts: she has spent a few years in Montreal as executive pastry chef for popular vegetarian and vegan restaurant Lola Rosa, as it grew to three locations around the city. She has international experience with the luxury Rélais & Châteaux hotel chain and Four Seasons before arriving in Montreal.

Interestingly, Dugout’s decision to ditch dairy and take an vegan route isn’t because of her own diet — she says it’s because she’s interested in the lighter baked goods that can be a result of going for all-vegan ingredients.

“People want to eat desserts, but they don’t want to eat unhealthily, and that’s how I got interested in vegan trends,” she tells Eater.

“It’ll be just like a pastry shop in France...it’s just a bit lighter, but the doughnut is going to be a doughnut, and the tart is going to be a tart, as if it wasn’t vegan.”

She’s also shaking things up with other baking staples — over half the items will be gluten-free, and she’s looking to substitute refined white sugar, using agave syrup in some items.

There will be a half-dozen options for cakes and tarts, alongside some savoury options: sandwiches, soups and salads. Dugout says to expect lots of fruit and dark chocolate (ganache included).

The space on the corner of St-Dominique and Duluth will have 12 seats, and Dugout is going for an ‘80s neon feel to it: a marble counter will be set off with velvet pouffes, and Dugout says it’ll be a colourful space. That small block of Duluth has been getting a major spruce-up in recent times — Dugout’s neighbours like Bar Suzanne, Dispatch Coffee, and Local Jerk all set up shop in about the last 18 months.

Expect it to open in early 2018.