Over the past 17 years, the name Nadege has become so synonymous with French pastry in Toronto that you may not even know that it’s also the first name of its founder, Nadege Nourian.
This week, though, Nourian is embarking on a new venture that, she hopes, will expand her foothold on the city’s French cuisine scene more broadly.
When the first location of Nadege Patisserie opened on Queen West in 2009, it was an instant hit. Helmed by Lyon-born pastry chef Nourian, the patisserie marked a major upgrade for the city’s culinary scene. It was among the first bakeries in the city to serve baked goods at the calibre one might expect from a Paris patisserie, and certainly the most recognizable.
Nowadays, things have scarcely slowed down. Beyond attention-grabbing fuchsia awnings, thousands of carefully-crafted macarons and croissants pass hands at Nadege’s four locations every day, with production moving to a central kitchen in Etobicoke.
This Friday, Feb. 6, a new chapter is beginning for Nadege: one that rises beyond her sugar-coated milieu and newly associates the name with a more well-rounded picture of Lyonnaise cuisine.
Moving into the back of Nadege’s 780 Queen St. W. location, Chez Nad is a cafe-by-day, cocktail bar-by-night concept that’ll be serving a full suite of French cuisine, paired with a creative cocktail program drawn up by the Pompette team.
Despite spending nearly the past two decades providing the city with some of the best French patisserie in town, Nourian tells blogTO that it’s long since been a dream of hers to open a restaurant. Finally, now, the timing is right.
Nourian tells blogTO that Chez Nad offers Toronto the increasingly rare chance to eat regional French cuisine prepared by an actual French chef, as faithful French bistros become less common in the city.
“I think for me, even though it’s very traditional, it’s almost very different than anything you find in Toronto, because Toronto has so much Asian or Mexican food, that there’s almost not that much French cuisine,” she says.
“But hopefully they’ll embrace it.”
Luckily, she’s not doing it alone. The kitchen is helmed by Laura Maxwell, a former Executive Chef at Le Select Bistro, who, in stride with Nourian, will serve up a selection of classic French dishes reinterpreted through a contemporary lens.
Think fried chicken Cordon Bleu, crudo-style salade nicoise and steak frites served dripping in shallot jus with a side of tarragon aioli.
Together, they’re neither reinventing the wheel nor resting on the laurels of long-since perfected French dishes. It’s all about making the familiar feel fresh. A lot like how Chez Nad is metamorphosing Nadege’s already iconic image.
“We have a dish called quenelle de Lyon, and it’s a dish that’s only made in Lyon, where I’m from,” Nourian tells blogTO. Growing up, Nourian’s mother, a chef and restaurateur herself, made it for her regularly, putting her own spin on it.
Though untraditional, it’s Nourian’s mother’s take on the dish that’ll be served.
Ingredients will be sourced on a local-first, French-second basis, with Nourian paying special attention to Ontario farms to supply the food that’ll be used at Chez Nad. Even the escargot, she jokes, is “free range.”
With Nadege, Nourian explains, it has always been her mission to make guests and clients feel like they’ve stepped into Nourian’s own home, and the same will be true — perhaps even more so — with Chez Nad.
Joining the Lyonnaise specialties Nourian grew up on, the space itself will take on an air of refined hominess. Recipes handwritten by Nourian’s grandmother hang on the wall, and dishes, like steak tartare, populate the menu at the specific request of Nourian’s family.
Don’t worry, Nadege fans, there’ll still be plenty of macarons to go around, too, as the bakery and cafe will remain in place at the front of house.
Though it’s a departure from what Nourian has come to be known for in Toronto so far, she tells blogTO that the reception from the public has already been warm.
“We sent a newsletter yesterday, and we already have some days that are fully booked,” Nourian says. “So there’s already a really good response. So yeah, it’s amazing.”
Dining and Cooking