Bria’s Treats opens in Medical Arts Building in downtown Saskatoon

Article content

Businesses and non-profit organizations regularly open and move in Saskatoon. Today, the StarPhoenix talks to Bria Tuchscherer, who opened Bria’s Treats Café and Bakeshop to fulfill a lifelong dream that started as a child in her mom and grandma’s kitchens.

Article content

Article content

Tuchscherer, from the Kerrobert area, started selling her own baking about eight years ago at age 14. Now 22, she opened Bria’s Treats in the basement of the Medical Arts Building downtown. She specializes in cupcakes, stuffed cookies and custom cakes but also has a lunch menu with sandwiches, soups and different coffees and a wide variety of other baking.

Article content

Q: Why did you open Bria’s Treats Café & Bakeshop?

A: It’s been my dream since I was really little. Growing up I did a lot of baking with my mom and my grandma and I really liked it, so I started making more cakes and then family and friends started wanting to buy cakes for birthdays. Then I slowly turned that into my full-time job where I set up an Instagram, and then I started selling baking at Christmas time or Valentine’s, all the big occasions. I was doing that as well as taking custom orders for weddings and birthdays.

I needed a commercial space that I was able to do all my wholesale baking out of. This was the perfect space because the building is closed on weekends. That gives me more time to bake. I supply to two stores, one in Kindersley and one in Kerrobert. I like to bake to stock my store as well as stock them up. 

Q: Do you have an educational background?

A: I went to school for two years at SAIT in Calgary to get my degree in baking and pastry arts, which really helped push towards my dream. I learned stuff that I can’t just teach myself, and different techniques. I got to work under a bunch of other chefs who had done training at hotels. They shared their different experiences. We also got to take a business class and we took wine tasting and a few cooking classes as well.

Article content

Article content

Q: What’s on your menu?

A: I have a grab and go freezer that I stock with a variety of different flavours of cupcakes, stuffed cookies and mini vintage cakes. On a daily rotation I do fresh cinnamon buns, scones and muffins. And I like to always have different bars and brownies. I also have a coffee machine, so I do different lattes. And I have a little lunch menu where I do a new soup every day and I have a few warm sandwiches and then some grab-and-go cold sandwiches. 

Q: Do you specialize in some products?

A: There is a broad selection, but I really like doing cupcakes and stuffed cookies. I also really like doing custom cakes, which I’m just starting to get into again. Some of my stuffed cookies I have filled with brownies, cream cheese and Oreos. I do a variety of chocolate-based ones and chocolate chip vanilla. I do smaller cookies, to sandwich cookies, to the stuffed cookies. I try to always have a bunch of different options for people. 

As for cupcakes, one of my most popular would be a cookie dough cupcake. It’s filled with cookie dough inside and then on the top there is a chocolate chip cookie. And then I do a lot of floral cupcakes, which is hand-piped flowers and they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day, or people get them for weddings.

Article content

Q: You bake custom cakes?

A: I do custom cakes like vintage piped cakes, that are on trend right now, or custom themed to what your birthday party is. People give me an idea of what their party is, or if it’s for a wedding they let me know if they want it to be floral or what kind of design they want.

Q: What sets you apart from other cafés and bakeshops?

A: I’m trying to make my place feel more like a homey place, like at your grandparents where you can come and get a traditional cookie like what you used to get back in your childhood, or you can try something different like a gourmet stuffed cookie. I try to make it so anyone from a really young age to a really old age can come here and there’s always something somebody will like.

Q: What do you offer for sandwiches and soups?

A: I have some sandwiches that are in a grab and go cooler, and there are a variety of flavours. On our menu we offer a chicken Caesar salad wrap, a turkey bacon club, a turkey pesto and then the soup changes every single day. I think the most popular sandwich would be the turkey bacon club. People like that it is on sourdough. 

I also started doing some pizza buns and I try to offer biscuits the odd day, just to give people a variety. The pizza buns are just a different option for people to grab and take to their office and it’s super quick and easy. For the soup, I always just think of something that I would like to eat, or someone in my family would like. I also get help. My friend is a caterer so I work with him on the soup.

Article content

Q: What do you have for drinks?

A: I have my latte machine. I do iced lattes, London fogs, hot lattes. I also do some regular drip coffee. As for other drinks I have pops, orange juice, apple juice and I’m hoping to get into doing Italian sodas in the summer.

Q: What do you love most about having your own bakeshop?

A: I love the creative freedom that I have, that if I want to try out a recipe I can try it out. And I just love the aspect that I’m working for myself and it’s my name on the wall. It’s cool to see all of what I’ve done growing up, selling baking, everyone has kind of watched me and now I get to put it all towards my own business. Lots of family and a lot of people from my community and surrounding communities have been stopping in, which is really nice.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Bria’s Treats Café & Bakeshop

Owner: Bria Tuchscherer
Address: 750 Spadina Crescent East (Medical Arts Building basement)
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phone: 306-834-4374
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BriasTreats
Instagram: www.instagram.com/briastreats

Article content

Have you recently started or moved a new business or non-profit organization in Saskatoon? We want to hear your story. Please email [email protected]

The Saskatoon Star Phoenix has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe.

With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.

Article content