I was AMAZED and then shocked to read recently that the average coffee chain muffin (and here I thought I was being healthy by ordering the blueberry muffin for Pete's Sake!) was loaded with as much fat, if not more so, than a fast food burger! What? How can that be? Well, it can be because in our fast-forward society, it's all about convenience and bang for your buck. So most of us don't stop to consider that that muffin has anywhere up to 600 or so calories (GULP!) and is likely loaded with hydrogenated fats to lower the price (and raise my cholesterol levels).
So when someone like Estella Yeung, the baker and owner of Porh Pawh Bakery Cafe opens up shop in Toronto and makes everything from scratch using ONLY top shelf ingredients, you can taste the difference. She lowers the sugar levels in most of her baked goods and adds date or honey instead to naturally sweeten her fabulous selection. I haven't tried anything at Porh Pawh's that I didn't like- her biscotti is a big hit with me and so is her flourless chocolate cake made using Lindt chocolate. Drool-worthy stuff made by a pro who cares about what you're putting in your body.
Catch Mario's interview with Estella this week as well as one of her mouth-watering recipes. Enjoy!