LóLa Cakes and Coffee in downtown Peterborough has only been open since December, but even more sweet treats and caffeinated goods might soon be on the way. Owner Nino Ante is on the hunt for a second location — and that’s only the start of the empire he has planned.
Located at 136 Hunter Street West between George and Water, LóLa Cakes and Coffee offers fresh baked goods, an approachable breakfast and lunch menu, and custom cakes. Ante, who opened the coffee shop with partner Apple Roque, says it has been well-received in the community.
“We are on our sixth month now and it’s been really great,” he says. “The reception of the community has been really positive, and we are getting busy.”
Growing up in the Philippines, Ante always loved being in the kitchen and, after a brief stint studying kinesiology in university, he attended culinary school where he trained in classical French cuisine. There, he built on the foundation that his parents instilled in him from a young age.
“My family loves hosting parties. My mom and dad really loved cooking — especially my dad — and that really influenced me to really do what I’m doing now,” says Ante, noting that a passion for cooking is crucial in the restaurant industry.
“If you don’t have it and it’s just for the sake of looking for a job, you’re not going to go anywhere. You really need to have it in order for you to be the chef. Everyone can cook, but not everyone can be a chef.”
After working on a cruise ship and after 10 years in Shanghai, Ante came to Canada in 2011 and worked in six different provinces before landing in Peterborough County. His impressive resume boasts global brands like the Fairmont, the Hilton, and The Westin, and he has been a club chef at the Rogers Centre with the Toronto Blue Jays and a private chef for prominent individuals on a private island.
While that may seem like a dream career for any chef, Ante says it “burns you out.”
“The companies I’ve worked with really entail a lot of dedication and will, with long hours (and) high-pressure, high-intensity kitchens,” he explains. “I was really tired. I just needed a rest.”
Ante was working as a private chef in Fraserville last year when he decided to open his own restaurant in Peterborough, noting the “nice community” that’s “not congested.”
“I really wanted to have a dessert in a coffee place, and when I was going around (Peterborough) there was no place that you can have cakes and just sit down with good coffee in the community,” he says.
“I thought we needed to fill the void, so LóLa was created.”
Lóla gets its name from the Filipino word for grandmother, reflecting on how the coffee shop and bakery takes inspiration from classic recipes.
“When our grandmothers were little or teenagers, they were eating plain, good old healthy food with no preservatives or additives,” Ante says. “That’s the same concept we’re doing here.”
With most ingredients coming from Canada where possible, the baked goods are influenced from Ante’s travels from around the world though presented in his own way. Ante’s innovation was recognized with the first-ever dessert entry into the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area’s annual Mac & Cheese Festival this spring — a mac and cheese tiramisu.
Adding to the reputation of sourcing high-quality drinks, including matcha that comes straight from Japan and an award-winning tea brand from Vancouver, Ante will soon be working with a Toronto roastery to produce an exclusive coffee blend with notes of chocolate using beans from the Philippines.
But that’s not his only plan for the future, as Ante says he’s hoping to open a second Lóla location before the end of the year.
While he’s looking in Peterborough, he says he’s open to other smaller communities like Lindsay, Cobourg, or Port Hope.
Even beyond Lóla, Ante hopes to introduce other venues and concepts to create even more job opportunities for locals, saying “I’d love to help the community.”
“It’s just sad because when I posted a job for a barista, there were 466 applicants for the position,” he says, noting the bakery position similarly had 180 applicants.
“I think the community needs jobs.”
Though more locations would mean continuing with those long working days, Ante says he’s no longer feeling burnt out but is rather rejuvenated working for himself.
“I see the fruits of our labour, because it’s ours,” he says. “Of course, I got compliments from when I was still working (in other places), but now it’s completely different because it’s mine. It just really keeps me going.”
For more information about LóLa Cakes and Coffee, including the breakfast and lunch menu, visit lolacakesandcoffee.ca.
