Michael's Artisan Bakery & Cafe

A European-trained chef, Chander Arora lived in Germany for eight years before he moved to Canada. Settling down with his family, he worked in a number of well-respected restaurants and hotels in the city, all the while searching for the perfect place to call his own.

“A friend told me this place was up for sale after only six months in operation. So I sat here the whole day looking at it and then I worked with the baker for a few nights,” says Chander. “I loved the place, so I bought it and that’s when I learned baking.”

When he took ownership in 2000, Michael’s Artisan Bakery Café was a bread only bakery, but he soon set out to create the bakery café that it is today. “Customers wanted more than just bread, so we opened up the kitchen to offer soup and sandwiches,” says Chander. “And I brought in a friend of mine, a pastry chef, and we started doing cookies and cakes.”

As his business grew, Chander also brought in a baker to keep the fresh organic bread selection plentiful, so he could spend his days behind the counter preparing lunch, catching up with loyal customers and making friends with new ones.