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As owners of an Ottawa chain of fitness studios, Chelsea Boissonneault and Ashley Lawrie have devoted their professional lives to encouraging people to get fitter and healthier. This weekend, they’re throwing that idea out the window.
“We decided to go in the opposite direction,” says Boissonneault, who came up with the idea of putting on a dessert festival. “We’re calling it The Ultimate Cheat Day.”
Their Dessert Festival, which they say will be the largest ever in North America, will be held in the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne this weekend, with 32 vendors offering everything from Lego-themed cake pops for kids to SweeTarts-flavoured cocktails for adults.
“We realized that people really love food more than they love fitness,” says Lawrie, who says she has worked out extra hard recently at their Free Form Fitness studios to shed the calories she has consumed sampling some of the treats that will be at the festival.
The pair have put on large events before, such as National Capital Fit Day.
“Those events were successful,” says Boissonneault, “but maybe 10 per cent of people are interested in fitness to that extent, while 95 per cent of people love dessert.”
The array of desserts is expected to be dazzling. The front half of the Aberdeen Pavilion will be divided into six “lands.” Cruise through Snack Land to say you’ve had dinner, with such savoury things as pizza, cheese curds, quesadillas, pretzels and popcorn on offer.
“Or just have dessert for dinner this one time,” says Boissonneault, who like her husband and Free Form Fitness business partner Jean-Luc Boissonneault, is a former body builder.
The biggest area will be Pastry Land, with baclava, mini sour-cherry cheesecakes and sandwich cookies from Nutty Greek Bakeshop, BeaverTails, SuzyQ Doughnuts, Mocha Cinnamon Choco Chip cookies and more from Three Tarts Bakeshop, new desserts just debuting from Milano Pizzeria, house-made marshmallows from Thyme & Again, Cronuts from Art-Is-In Bakery, French macarons from Le Cordon Bleu and Allium’s signature Banoffee Pie.
“I have an obsession about that pie,” says Lawrie. “At one point, I was going to Allium every weekend for it.”
Other “lands” will be Candy Land, which will be set up like a bulk candy shop and offer cotton candy as well; Ice Cream Land, with cups of ice cream from Kawartha Dairy, sorbet and snow cones; Cake Land, with treats from such spots as The Cupcake Lounge, Oh So Good and Kenzie Cakes; and Chocolate Land with truffles from the Hilton Garden Inn, brownies from Art-Is-In Bakery, bulk chocolate bins and more.
The back half of the Aberdeen Pavilion will include a bouncy castle and other play areas for children.
“They’ll be hyped up on sugar, so we want to give them somewhere to burn it off,” says Lawrie.
Picnic tables will be set up with Candy Land games on them and you’ll be able to sit in a lounge area with sofas and bean-bag chairs. A stage will provide entertainment throughout the weekend, including three demos each day from Le Cordon Bleu and cupcake-decorating and pie-eating contests. Oh So Good will operate a coffee shop, with hot chocolate and smoothies as well as coffee.
In the evening, a DJ will take over and drink stations will come out, with candy-themed cocktails, wine and even Broadhead’s blueberry beer.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” says Boissonneault, who says she hopes not only to make DessertFest an annual event, but to take it to other cities.
“I’ve trademarked the name. With so many businesses going online, the ones that are going to survive are all about experiences.
“People who are eating dessert are so much happier than cranky dieters.”
DessertFest: The Ultimate Cheat Day
When: Saturday, June 11, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, June 12, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park
Adults only: After 8 p.m. Saturday
Cost: Admission $10 in advance or $13 at the door; kids under 12 get in free
Dessert and drink tickets: A sheet of 40 tickets will be $20; treats will range from two tickets for a mini cupcake to 10 to 12 for a BeaverTail
More: DessertFestival.com
查看原文...
“We decided to go in the opposite direction,” says Boissonneault, who came up with the idea of putting on a dessert festival. “We’re calling it The Ultimate Cheat Day.”
Their Dessert Festival, which they say will be the largest ever in North America, will be held in the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne this weekend, with 32 vendors offering everything from Lego-themed cake pops for kids to SweeTarts-flavoured cocktails for adults.
“We realized that people really love food more than they love fitness,” says Lawrie, who says she has worked out extra hard recently at their Free Form Fitness studios to shed the calories she has consumed sampling some of the treats that will be at the festival.
The pair have put on large events before, such as National Capital Fit Day.
“Those events were successful,” says Boissonneault, “but maybe 10 per cent of people are interested in fitness to that extent, while 95 per cent of people love dessert.”
The array of desserts is expected to be dazzling. The front half of the Aberdeen Pavilion will be divided into six “lands.” Cruise through Snack Land to say you’ve had dinner, with such savoury things as pizza, cheese curds, quesadillas, pretzels and popcorn on offer.
“Or just have dessert for dinner this one time,” says Boissonneault, who like her husband and Free Form Fitness business partner Jean-Luc Boissonneault, is a former body builder.
The biggest area will be Pastry Land, with baclava, mini sour-cherry cheesecakes and sandwich cookies from Nutty Greek Bakeshop, BeaverTails, SuzyQ Doughnuts, Mocha Cinnamon Choco Chip cookies and more from Three Tarts Bakeshop, new desserts just debuting from Milano Pizzeria, house-made marshmallows from Thyme & Again, Cronuts from Art-Is-In Bakery, French macarons from Le Cordon Bleu and Allium’s signature Banoffee Pie.
“I have an obsession about that pie,” says Lawrie. “At one point, I was going to Allium every weekend for it.”
Other “lands” will be Candy Land, which will be set up like a bulk candy shop and offer cotton candy as well; Ice Cream Land, with cups of ice cream from Kawartha Dairy, sorbet and snow cones; Cake Land, with treats from such spots as The Cupcake Lounge, Oh So Good and Kenzie Cakes; and Chocolate Land with truffles from the Hilton Garden Inn, brownies from Art-Is-In Bakery, bulk chocolate bins and more.
The back half of the Aberdeen Pavilion will include a bouncy castle and other play areas for children.
“They’ll be hyped up on sugar, so we want to give them somewhere to burn it off,” says Lawrie.
Picnic tables will be set up with Candy Land games on them and you’ll be able to sit in a lounge area with sofas and bean-bag chairs. A stage will provide entertainment throughout the weekend, including three demos each day from Le Cordon Bleu and cupcake-decorating and pie-eating contests. Oh So Good will operate a coffee shop, with hot chocolate and smoothies as well as coffee.
In the evening, a DJ will take over and drink stations will come out, with candy-themed cocktails, wine and even Broadhead’s blueberry beer.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” says Boissonneault, who says she hopes not only to make DessertFest an annual event, but to take it to other cities.
“I’ve trademarked the name. With so many businesses going online, the ones that are going to survive are all about experiences.
“People who are eating dessert are so much happier than cranky dieters.”
DessertFest: The Ultimate Cheat Day
When: Saturday, June 11, 11 a.m. to midnight; Sunday, June 12, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Where: Aberdeen Pavilion, Lansdowne Park
Adults only: After 8 p.m. Saturday
Cost: Admission $10 in advance or $13 at the door; kids under 12 get in free
Dessert and drink tickets: A sheet of 40 tickets will be $20; treats will range from two tickets for a mini cupcake to 10 to 12 for a BeaverTail
More: DessertFestival.com
查看原文...
