They’re a gourmet sister act. “You just can’t keep us out of the kitchen,” laughs Lori McClelland who co-owns Holly’s Sweets & Eats with her younger sibling Holly Cascone. “We love to cook and bake for the other people.”
And it’s a passion that started early. As teenagers, the young foodies would cater anything from small parties to roast beef dinners for 350 people out of their parent’s basement. “Our dad owned a marina we handled all the big events,” explains McClelland who was raised in Orillia. That team work later inspired them to open a business.
Located in the south-end of Barrie, Holly’s specializes in scratch baking and gourmet catering. Guests can enjoy a meal at the bistro, shop for epicurean products like scrumptious jams and preserves, or simply relax with a coffee and muffin. A full-line of fresh and frozen tempting meals are also available for take-out. They even cater weddings.
“Our cooking and baking philosophy is simple,” says McClelland, a former teacher who hooked up with her pastry chef sister about five years ago to set up shop. “Food can’t just look spectacular -- it has to taste spectacular.”
?Everything is handmade to achieve such high standards. “It’s a real scratch bakery, which means no mixes or short cuts of any kind,” explains McClelland, a 42-year-old married mother with three children. “We only use fresh, local whenever possible, high quality ingredients.” And the same goes for everything else they produce.
A few house specialties include cinnamon swirl bread, sticky toffee pudding, chicken curry, a killer chocolate cake and crowd-pleasing butter tarts. “We make dozens and dozens of butter tarts each week,” says McClelland, who describes herself as a self-taught cook who reads incessantly. “People drive from miles away to buy them.”
Holly’s also prides itself on being sensitive special dietary needs, and offers a variety of glucose-free, lactose-free and no-sugar baked goods. Upon request, natural food colourings for icings are also available.
They credit their parents for turning them into culinary aces. “Our family is full of incredible cooks,” says Cascone, who trained as both a chef and pastry chef at George Brown College. “Our mom is Ukrainian and our dad is Italian so we were exposed really good food growing up.” In fact, Cascone’s most memorable meal was spent with eleven family members near Capri, Italy. “We were visiting my grandfather and made homemade gnocchi,” the 37-year-old recalls. “It was out of this world!”
As for the business, Cascone enjoys the creative freedom it offers. “I love experimenting with new recipes and decorating custom cakes,” she says. And the sky’s the limit in that department. “We’ve even done a 3D Boston Marathon cake complete with race landmarks,” she explains.
Cooking for customers, especially during the holidays gives McClelland the most joy. “I love the holiday hustle and bustle,” says McClelland, referring to the fact that Holly’s offers take-out meals for any occasion including Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. “Allowing to cook a meal for other families is an incredible honour.”
Although running a business with siblings isn’t for everyone, it seems to work for these two. “It’s great because you always have unconditional support,” says Cascone.
G.L. What’s your favourite gadget?
L.M. Stainless steel bowls. I have hundreds of them in every shape and size. I like them because they don’t take on flavours. You can put onions in them, wash them and then put butter cream in them and it doesn’t matter.
H.C. I’m like MacGyver in the kitchen and use various tools to get the job done. However, I’m pretty handy with a pallet (or icing) knife and consider it my secret weapon.
G.L. What’s your favourite ingredient?
L.M. Heirloom tomatoes. Aesthetically, they are beautiful and they taste like real tomatoes. I also love fresh herbs. We use them for decoration and they make everything taste fresher.
H.C. Butter. It just adds so much flavour to baked goods.
G.L. What’s your favourite table setting?
L.M. & H.C. White plates and white linens. Colour should come from the food and flowers. Really good glassware is also key.
G.L. What are the culinary highlights of Simcoe County?
L.M. I love The North restaurant on Dunlop Street. I’m also fond of organic produce from Kestrel Farms and McBride’s Organic Produce at the Orillia Farmers’ Market. Actually, anything from the Orillia Farmers’ Market is great.
H.C. The local produce is amazing! I love Johnstone’s Corn in Moonstone. His corn is the best because it’s just so sweet.
G.L. Any advice for the home cook?
L.M. Cook for people you love and use real ingredients. Homemade is always best.
H.C. Don’t ever give up. Also, try to shake things up a bit and try new things. For example, corn season doesn’t just mean enjoying corn on the cob every night. Spice it up with some wicked corn fritters or homemade corn bread.
A Tale of Two Sisters
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