3/7/2010

As my fiance was eating a cookie sandwich from LPK, he turned to me and said "if i didn't love you so much, i wouldn't be sharing this with you."  Yes, the cookie was THAT good.  So good you'd never know it was both vegan AND gluten free.  

LPK is more of a boutique than a bakery.  Their baked goods are expensive but I'm not surprised as they use only natural and high quality ingredients that are organic, fair trade and good for you.  

When we needed a last minute vegan cake for a party, Lesia was able to come through for us with only a few hour's notice.  The cake was a hit and made me an instant fan.  Their cupcakes are also fabulous.  I've tried a few different kinds and they were all great.  I even loved the coconut & lime, even thought I am usually not a huge fan of coconuts.

I only wish there were more bakeries like this.  There are many options that are vegan, gluten-free and all the items are vegetarian-friendly.  Not only that, but they all taste equally amazing so you don't need to compromise on taste just because you can't have certain ingredients!  On some weekends, they teach classes as well.  No, their baked goods are not cheap but when it comes to food, it should always be quality over quantity.

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5/24/2010

LPK's Culinary Groove popped my vegan cherry. I'm sure LPK would be happy to know this. :-)

LPK's is a small shop on Queen East near Broadview that specializes in vegan and organic creations. I went specifically to try a cupcake, which was okay, but stumbled upon the Oreo Cookie Sandwich (vegan!) and the best cookie I've ever eaten -- the Spicy Chevre Noir Shortbread cookies! Holy, are these things fantastic!

The staff, including LPK, was super nice and very interested in getting to know their customers. I'll definitely be back.

Listed in: Cupcakes, Cupcakes, We All…

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8/22/2010

I recently became a regular at LPKs. The coconut lime cupcakes are amazing -- you would never know that they are vegan and gluten free! The prices are a bit steep, but if you're on a restricted diet and are craving a delicious cupcake, this is the place to go!

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7/9/2009

LPK's Culinary Groove is a tiny boutique at Queen & Broadview that specializes in stunningly beautiful organic creations like cakes, tarts, truffles and pastries. There are vegan and gluten-free options galore and everything is expertly labelled with descriptions.

Owner Lesia is incredibly knowledgeable and welcoming and knows absolutely everything about the intricacies and ingredients in the store's baked goods.

The neat thing about the beautiful mini cupcakes on display is that they're made from leftover cake batter, so the flavour combinations vary from day to day depending what's being baked/ordered. How economic! The only downside to these cupcakes is the somewhat prohibitive cost - $2.50 for a mini cupcake is definitely the most money I've ever spent on a mini. However, it had a real uniqueness and beauty to it - vanilla with brown sugar buttercream. The butteriness (a word??) was very evident; I almost felt like I was eating an entire rosette of butter that's served with a dinner roll. Dieters beware!

While LPK focuses on sweet baked goods, the true knockout of the day was the "Spicy Chèvre Noir Shortbread Cookies", which I had a free sample of. Unbelievably good. The flavour is unlike anything you've ever graced your lips with - at once tangy and spicy with a bit of a kick. The cost ($12 for a bag of 16) is well worth it for the journey to tastebud nirvana!

Listed in: Toronto Cupcake Crawl 2009

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7/4/2009

This is going to be a pretty simple review. LPK's CG has the nicest, most knowledgeable staff I have had the pleasure to meet in a very long time.

I've been trying hard to find something there that isn't absolutely delicious.  I fail every time. I make up fake birthdays, retirement parties, baby showers, just because it's a weekday, anything to give myself an excuse to visit them. The best part is you leave feeling awesome because everything is made with fair trade organic local ingredients. Hello! Ok, the real best part is eating the goodies.  

To be completely fair I feel I should give you a con with LPK's. Here it is: make it a habit and take it out on your scale.

Why are you still reading this? Go treat yourself already!

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4/21/2009

LPK's is a great place to go if you're looking for a vegan wedding cake -- they have several options, some of which are also gluten free, like the almond torte with mocha buttercream or the coconut lime with lime-scented frosting.  Everything in the bakery is made with locally-sourced, organic ingredients and the chocolate is fair trade, but most importantly, it's delicious!  The ingredients and care that goes into LPK's creations definitely bumps the price up, but if you want something special, healthy, and earth-friendly, it's totally worth it.  Oh, and as a bonus, they have lots of samples.  Mmm!

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11/19/2008 12 photos

the ladies at lpk's have been very welcoming each time i have come in.  they are excited to answer questions and seem on a mission to make sure that customers see the true culinary merits of well made organic pastries, cakes and chocolates, especially vegan ones.  i tried the vegan jelly squares which essentially as pictured above is jam that theyve managed to hold together in a rectangle and covered with some type of sugar.  its quite lovely actually and i wouldnt flock to vegan desserts on any day but i would buy this one as a dessert on par with any other.  it was not rubbery, or hard to rip apart, or jelloey or gelatinous at all.  it was as i said - magically made to stay in a fixed shape as it tasted more like a delicious, not overly sweet jam.  the chocolate chip cookies, the brownies and the shortbreads were all made on site and very fresh.   my personal favorite was the chevre noir shortbread, which has goat cheese in it and was spicy- perhaps from cayenne pepper maybe, not sure, but a great find and dessert alternative.

their cakes are amazing and death-defying in their construction and colour.  havent tried any of those but likely they are made from high quality organic goods and taste great.  they also sell other dessert acoutrements.  

all the displays are created with care and are very welcoming.  the small cake display was a little sparse when i came in, but im sure thatll fill up in no time at all with good stuff.  (i didnt try the white chocolate truffle creme brulees for absolutely no good reason at all as they looked and sounded awesome so i will have to go back for that.)

good luck and thanks for making healthy desserts taste awesome.

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