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Third Annual Grand Haunt – October 26th

October 2, 2024
by Meridith Braun
Uncategorized

The Grand Haunt 2023 a chance to win $1000 cash in a chocolate smash skull.

Join Our 3rd Annual Grand Haunt – October 26th!

Trick-or-Treat Your Way Around Toronto on October 26th for a Chance at Sweet Prizes; Grand Prize is a Chocolate Smash Brain with $1,000 Cash Inside
It’s our favourite time of year again…spooky season!! Grab your brooms and get ready to Haunt with us!
Here’s the Spooky Scoop…
  1. Come, Trick or Treat with us throughout downtown Toronto on October 26th for a chance to win $1000 cash inside a Chocolate Smash Brain!
  2. Keep your eyes peeled — from 11am-2pm, seek out our Haunters, who will be stationed at 5 different locations throughout downtown Toronto.
  3. Stay glued to our social channels — we’ll post a clue to the first location on our social media the morning of the 26th!
  4. When you locate the first Haunter they will hand you an official Trick-or-Treat ticket, stamp it and provide you a clue to where the next Haunter is prowling.
  5. Take a selfie with each Haunter and get your ticket stamped at all 5 locations.
The Grand Order of Divine Sweets sign outside the cafe
    1. Once your ticket has all 5 stamps and you’ve tagged us @thegoodsweetsto with #TheGrandHaunt on your social media, shamble your way to The Grand Order of Divine Sweets Café at 1162 Queen St W!
  At the café, every Trick-or-Treater with a completed ticket will get a special cookie treat and those over 18 will get a draw from our Spooky Cauldron. Will you draw a trick… or a treat? Or perhaps the Grand Treat: a Chocolate Smash Brain with (you guessed it) $1,000 cold hard cash inside! The Spooky Cauldron’s treats include many delicious handcrafted sweets from our Ghoulicious Halloween Collection of fine chocolates, cupcakes, cakes and more, available now online or in-store. Make your way through The Grand Haunt as fast or as slow as you need to. Our Haunters will be at their locations from 11am-2pm and the cauldron will be at our Cafe until we close at 7pm. Prize winners must be ages 18+. And that’s not all; if you participate while wearing a costume you get an extra draw from the cauldron! Come Haunt with us this Halloween!

The Grand Hunt is March 23rd

March 11, 2024
by Meridith Braun
1 comment
Uncategorized

The 3rd Annual Grand Hunt is March 23rd

Calling All Treasure Hunters!

Ten Deliciously Sweet Treasure Chests To Be Hidden throughout Toronto March 23rd; Grand Prize is a Huge Handcrafted Chocolate Dragon Egg housing $1000 Cash InsideSam Lapointe holds the $1000 Chocolate Dragon Egg up for grabs in The Grand Hunt on March 23rd

It’s spring and you know what that means…time to hunt treasure! Ready for a deliciously sweet Quest? Here it is! On March 23, 2024 we will be hiding 10 mini-treasure chests throughout mid- and downtown Toronto. In the chests are unique scrolls relating to a particular sweet prize to be redeemed at The Grand Order of Divine Sweets cafe at 1162 Queen St W.

Stay tuned here and on our socials @thegoodsweetsto as we reveal the exciting prizes planned for this year’s Grand Hunt! The✨Grand Prize✨ is of course our gorgeous, Chocolate Dragon Egg with $1,000 cash inside!

And if that isn’t exciting enough, in addition to the 10 Treasure Chests we’re hiding throughout the city, we are also giving out HUNDREDS of prizes that day at the cafe. Be sure to stop by, for a chance to draw from our Easter Basket of Prizes, it’s going to be a day to remember and we can’t wait to see you!

For clues, pay close attention to Stories on our Instagram and Facebook channels @thegoodsweetsto throughout the day.
Official Rules & Additional Hunt Details
  • – Prizes will be hidden rain or shine.
  • – Must be 18 years of age or older to win a prize
  • – All treasure chests will be placed in accessible outdoor locations
  • – When a scroll is found in a treasure box, take both to The Grand Order of Divine Sweets located at 1162 Queen St W before Wednesday, March 27, 2024 to find out what you have won
  • – Instagram and Facebook Stories will be updated as Treasure Chests are found
  • – Finders keepers! Only one Treasure Chest will be placed in each location. First hunter to claim the prize gets the loot!
  • If the day ends and not all the Chests are found, they are still in play! We’ll keep dropping hints until every scroll is returned.
  • While you’re out hunting, let us know! Tag us in your social media posts, tell your friends, have fun, and stay safe ❤️
  • For additional location hints visit us in store from now until March 23rd and ask our crew about The Grand Hunt. Happy Hunting!
Obligatory Fine Print
  • – Scrolls may only be redeemed during open hours – Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-5pm and Friday/Saturday, 10am-7pm
  • Scrolls must be brought to the shop to be redeemed. No scroll, no prize!
  • Each scroll corresponds to a specific prize. When a scroll is redeemed, it’s only valid for the assigned prize. No exchanges. No cash value.
  • – No purchase necessary to participate.

October 3, 2023

The 2nd Annual Grand Haunt – October 28th

by Meridith Braun
Uncategorized

The Grand Haunt 2023 a chance to win $1000 cash in a chocolate smash skull.

Join The 2nd Annual Grand Haunt – October 28th!

Trick-or-Treat Your Way Around Toronto on October 28th for a Chance at Sweet Prizes; Grand Prize is a Chocolate Smash Pumpkin with $1,000 Cash Inside
It’s our favourite time of year again…spooky season!! Grab your brooms and get ready to Haunt with us!
    Here’s the Spooky Scoop…
  1. Come, Trick or Treat with us throughout downtown Toronto on October 28th for a chance to win $1000 cash inside a chocolate Smash Pumpkin!
  2. Keep your eyes peeled — from 11am-3pm, seek out our Haunters, who will be stationed at 5 different locations throughout downtown Toronto.
  3. Stay glued to our social channels — we’ll post a clue to the first location on our social media the morning of the 28th!
  4. When you locate the first Haunter they will hand you an official Trick-or-Treat ticket, stamp it and provide you a clue to where the next Haunter is prowling.
  5. Take a selfie with each Haunter and get your ticket stamped at all 5 locations.
    The Grand Order of Divine Sweets sign outside the cafeOnce your ticket has all 5 stamps and you’ve tagged us @thegoodsweetsto with #TheGrandHaunt on your social media, shamble your way to The Grand Order of Divine Sweets Café at 1162 Queen St W!

    At the café, every Trick-or-Treater with a completed ticket will get a special cookie treat and those over 18 will get a draw from our Spooky Cauldron. Will you draw a trick… or a treat? Or perhaps the Grand Treat: a chocolate Smash Pumpkin with (you guessed it) $1,000 cold hard cash inside! The Spooky Cauldron’s treats include many delicious handcrafted sweets from our Ghoulicious Halloween Collection of fine chocolates, cupcakes, cakes and more, available now online or in-store.

    Make your way through The Grand Haunt as fast or as slow as you need to. Our Haunters will be at their locations from 11am-3pm and the cauldron will be at our Cafe until we close at 7pm. Prize winners must be ages 18+.

    And that’s not all; if you participate while wearing a costume you get an extra draw from the cauldron!

    Come Haunt with us this Halloween!

The Grand Hunt Starts April 1st – No Foolin’!

March 20, 2023
by Meridith Braun
1 comment
Uncategorized

The 2nd Annual Grand Hunt Starts April 1st

Calling All Treasure Hunters!

The Grand Hunt Faberge Chocolate Egg with $1000 Cash Inside

Ten Deliciously Sweet Treasure Chests To Be Hidden Around Toronto on April 1st; Grand Prize is a Huge Handcrafted Faberge-Inspired Chocolate Egg with $1000 Cash Inside

Ready for a deliciously sweet Quest? Here it is! On April 1, 2023 we will be hiding 10 mini-treasure chests throughout mid- and downtown Toronto. No Foolin’! In the chests are unique scrolls relating to a particular sweet prize to be redeemed at The Grand Order of Divine Sweets cafe at 1162 Queen St W.

This year’s Grand Hunt is grander than ever! We’ve partnered with Playstation, Storm Crow Manor, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The RAID Studio, Curiosa, OffWorld Bar and Universal Studios Super Mario Bros. to provide even more cool prizes to the event!

Here are the 10 Eggciting Treasure Chest prizes you could win:

The✨Grand Prize✨ is of course our gorgeous, decorated chocolate egg with $1,000 cash inside!

  • ✨ Tickets to the Mirvish production Harry Potter and the Cursed Child paired with our officially licensed Hogwarts Crest Chocolate Bar & Invitation Cookies
  • ✨ The Playstation game Horizon Forbidden West Regalla edition, plus exclusive Playstation swag and a GOoDS chocolate video game controller
  • ✨ $100 Gift card to StormCrow Manor, a StormCrow loot bag and a GOoDS Hannah Bunny
  • ✨ Family Pass of 4 tickets to see Super Mario Bros. in theatre that comes out April 7th, plus exclusive swag for the Super Mario Movie and a GOoDS med Chocolate Egg
  • ✨ 6 Graphic novels from RAID PRESS Studio, $30 gift certificate for the El Almacen cafe plus a GOoDS Pollock Egg
  • ✨ $100 Gift Card for OffWorld Bar and a GOoDS Hannah Bunny
  • ✨ $100 Gift Card to Curiosa and a GOoDS med Chocolate Egg
  • ✨ Easter Gift Basket filled with chocolates and cookies from The GOoDS plus 2 tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
  • ✨ $100 Gift Card to The Grand Order of Divine Sweets and a 6 pack of our Easter Cupcakes

  • As if that wasn’t exciting enough, in addition to the 10 Treasure Chests we’re hiding throughout the city, we are also giving out HUNDREDS of prizes that day at the cafe, including movie passes, gift cards to StormCrow and Offworld, Super Mario Bros. Swag and of course – Chocolate! Be sure to stop by, for a chance to draw from our Easter Basket of Prizes, it’s going to be a day to remember and we can’t wait to see you!

    For clues, pay close attention to Stories on our Instagram and Facebook channels @thegoodsweetsto throughout the day.

    Official Rules & Additional Hunt Details
    • – Prizes will be hidden rain or shine.
    • – Must be 18 years of age or older to win a prize
    • – All treasure chests will be placed in accessible outdoor locations
    • – When a scroll is found in a treasure box, take both to The Grand Order of Divine Sweets located at 1162 Queen St W before Wednesday, April 5, 2023 to find out what you have won
    • – Instagram and Facebook Stories will be updated as Treasure Chests are found
    • – Finders keepers! Only one Treasure Chest will be placed in each location. First hunter to claim the prize gets the loot!
    • If the day ends and not all the Chests are found, they are still in play! We’ll keep dropping hints until every scroll is returned.
    • While you’re out hunting, let us know! Tag us in your social media posts, tell your friends, have fun, and stay safe ❤️
    • For additional location hints visit us in store from now until April 1st and ask our crew about The Grand Hunt. Happy Hunting!
    Obligatory Fine Print
    • – Scrolls may only be redeemed during open hours – Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-5pm
    • Scrolls must be brought to the shop to be redeemed. No scroll, no prize!
    • Each scroll corresponds to a specific prize. When a scroll is redeemed, it’s only valid for the assigned prize. No exchanges. No cash value.
    • – No purchase necessary to participate.

    The GOoDS Transforms to Kowalski Quality Baked Goods

    April 8, 2022
    by Meridith Braun
    Uncategorized

    The Grand Order of Divine Sweets is Transforming (temporarily)!

    Kowalski Quality Baked Goods is coming to Toronto! ✨
    Toronto bakery transforms to Kowalski Quality Baked Goods April 12-13 for The Secrets of Dumbledore For TWO DAYS only, stop by this world-exclusive Fantastic Beasts-themed pop-up at our shop, inspired by the New York bakery owned by Muggle Jacob Kowalski, for the magical snacks and fanciful confections. Fans who visit the immersive destination will receive a complimentary movie-themed chocolate frog while supplies last. The pop-up will also feature fantastical photo oops and offer patrons the chance to win exclusive Fantastic Beasts giveaways. Fans are encouraged to dress up as their favourite Wizarding World characters for the full experience!

    All at The Grand Order of Divine Sweets
    1162 Queen St West, Toronto
    April 12-13, 10am-7pm

    Returning to the magic has never been sweeter! So iron those fantastic costumes and join us for the fun! ?✨
    Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is in theatres April 15.

    Blog-Covid19 Response

    April 19, 2021
    by Meridith Braun
    Uncategorized

    Our Covid-19 Response

    Working Together Safely through the Pandemic

    As we navigate through the constantly evolving Covid-19 pandemic, we are adapting our operations to continue supporting our staff’s physical and mental health as we also make our customer’s days a little sweeter safely. Here we recount our response since the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020. If you have any questions regarding our covid-19 safety procedures we welcome you to contact us.
    March 16th 2020
    Due to the growing uncertainty and questionable safety we voluntarily closed for the mental and physical health of our staff as we awaited further information from our Government.
    March 17th 2020
    The Government of Ontario officially declared the first lockdown.
    March 16th – May 20th 2020
    During this time we provided our staff with full pay, information resources, divided all perishable ingredients and products amongst our staff, provided emotional support resources, optional movie nights for our staff and customers and open communication. We also launched our Birthday Cupcake Pages in hopes we could help our customers with isolation birthdays feel loved.
    May 20th 2020- Present
    We Opened for Curbside Pickup, Delivery and Shipping. We have chosen to keep the cafe closed to the public and remain in maximum lockdown measures to prevent the open/close uncertainty and mental health strain on our staff and to do our part to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and it’s variants.

    Our customers are shopping with us safely knowing we are taking the highest precautions, and will always be open and honest should any closure due to Covid-19 take place. To date we have not had any cases amongst our staff members, but if we do, we will take the utmost care to support them during their time off, temporarily close the shop for deep cleaning and inform the public through our social media. We will only reopen once it is confirmed safe to do so.

    We operate with a maximum capacity of 2 staff members on each floor of our facility at a time to help promote and encourage maximum social distancing safety. We have an excellent HVAC air quality system to help with air circulation as well.

    Masks, and hand washing are in effect at all times while on site, as is the regular disinfecting of surfaces.

    Each employee was provided 2 personal cloth masks and we have additional disposable and N95 masks on site for use as needed. Hand sanitizer, gloves and personal storage spaces are provided as well. We also offer 3 different lunch/break room space options (one on each floor including amenities such as fridge, stove and microwave) to help our staff decompress and enjoy their breaks safely.

    Any employees with tasks that can be done from home do so, some with mixed schedules consisting of on site shifts and work from home shifts, and others with work from home only positions.

    We provide flexible scheduling and work with our staff to determine what schedule will assist their needs most, especially around school closures for those with little ones. (Admittedly, FOH staff have slightly less flexibility due to the nature of Curbside Pickup hours.)

    Should someone receive a possible contagion notice from an outside source (such as from the school board) they take the remainder of the day (and sometimes a few extra days) off. To help reduce loss of wages/hours we have offered to pay for private same day Covid-19 testing for them and their immediate family while our Government funded testing remains with long wait times.

    We provide our staff with sick days and vacation time and are very communicative to help build their trust in us. We work extremely well as a team of honest individuals and do not judge the use of those sick days/vacation time allowing them to feel confident in us and not feel pressured to come to work with unknown symptoms.

    As vaccines rollout we are working with our staff members to ensure scheduling coverage, support and flexibility for vaccination appointments. We also provide up-to-date information on who is currently eligible for vaccines, appointment booking assistance and help finding answers to any vaccine questions or concerns.

    We have monthly check in meetings and send our staff optional feedback forms to see how they are doing both personally and at work, what we are doing well, and what we could be doing better. We take our staff’s suggestions to heart and often adjust/implement their suggestions for better safety, efficiency and comfort.

    Here at The GOoD Sweets we truly take the safety of our customers and staff extremely seriously. We remain in operation safely through lockdowns & stay at home orders to provide our staff with a trusted source of income and to help brighten our customer’s days through good food made with love.

    Please stay safe, and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support and belief in our small business. This is all possible thanks to each of you. Thank you.

    May the fork be with you, always.
    Sam Lapointe & Meridith Braun
    The Grand Order of Divine Sweets

    September 11, 2020

    Blog-Halloween is Coming!

    by Meridith Braun
    Uncategorized
    Halloween Extravaganza

    All Hallows Eve – Night of Witches – Hungry Ghost Festival – Hallowe’en

     
    No matter what you call it…It’s COMING…our favourite time of year
    (especially in the year 2020)!

    When black cats prowl, and pumpkin’s gleam, the luck be ours this Halloween! Our spooktacular Halloween creations are here and we’re taking 2020 back with a vengeance! Sure to enchant even the deepest corners, we’re bringing Halloween to you this year for a safe ghoulicious Halloween extravaganza!

    Join us Witches and Warlocks, because we’ve been brewing up something special to show all the ghosts and goblins that Halloween will never be cancelled!

    Canadian Shipping Available Now!Shipping Available Now!
    In addition to Curbside Pickup and Local GTA Delivery we’re reaching our tentacles far and wide to get The GOoDS delivered right to your DOOR with Canada-wide shipping! (USA shipping coming soon)

    Aprons On, Whisks Up – It’s #BAKETOBER!
    You may have heard of drawing challenges like Inktober, Pinktober, Drawtober and the list goes on! Well get ready, because this year we’re getting our best whisks out to host #BAKETOBER!

    We’ve created a list of prompts for each day of October as inspiration for your baking! (We’ll even accept plain ‘ol delicious cooking!) Think of it as an interactive calendar countdown to Halloween! To participate, create a culinary confection based on that day’s prompt, and post it to Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #baketober or #baketober2020. Follow the hashtag and see what other bakers are up to! We will be participating too, so stay tuned for all kinds of ghostly creations!

    You can choose to do something for each prompt if you’re up for the challenge, but there are no hard rules here! We’re just excited to fire up the oven after a long hot summer and get back to our favourite yummy, warm (and sometimes spooky) treats. We will be sharing our favourite fan creations in our stories! So come on — eat, drink, and get spooky with us!

    Your Fiends,
    The Grand Order of Divine Sweets

    July 6, 2020

    Blog-Take an Ice Cream Break

    by Samantha Lapointe
    Fun

    Take An Ice Cream Break ?

    Blogs are now the first Monday of every month due to our now busier schedule filling online orders for pickup and delivery around the city. It’s so nice to be back doing what we love and helping bring smiles to faces across the city with our sweetly geeky treats.  But even with all that going on it has been hard not to be exhausted from everything else going on in the world right now and honestly, we were at a loss on what to blog about.

    2020… has been a year, hasn’t it? Between Covid-19, a long needed spotlight on inequality, missing our favourite events and cons not to mention friends and family, virtual celebrations, murder hornets, Tiger King (Carol did it!) and what seems like waking up everyday to some new crazy happening from around the world, it’s exhausting!!! …and we’ve only reached July!!!!

    So we’re offering this blog up to zoning out and taking a break from this crazy world and what better remedy to help than ice cream?

    “But GOoDS Crew… you don’t make ice cream,” We hear you say…

    Well, maybe we don’t, but sometimes you just need a huge scoop of ice cream ? with your GOoDS cake ?… Better yet, support your favourite small business…

    • Honestly, we love it, every order, every customer, every social media comment, review and every email we get through COVID-19 keeps us going until the next one. THANK YOU, our customers for trusting, loving and supporting us during this historical moment in time. We love you too. Galaxy Truffles
    • …grab some of our bars or barks, chop them up and stick them into this recipe. Cobble together your own creations, be the mad scientist you always wanted to be. Smoked ice cream? Hell yes, let’s get philosophical. Explore the vastness of the universe by chopping up a box of our Galaxy Truffles for a new flavour in every bite!
    • Or … want to stop adulting and grab a small mental health break to get your energy to face the second half of 2020? Turn yourself into a blanket burrito and enjoy Sunday morning cartoons but instead of cereal and milk, it’s ice cream and our Cereal Killer Bark. BAM! ?
    I read a theory online that the year 2020 is proof that time travel exists because it’s someone popping back and forth trying to fix something, but each time they mess it up and make it worse…after everything that has happened so far this year it doesn’t sound that crazy.

    Grab your ice cream, whatever flavour mood you need, take a break, the fight will be here when you get back.

    ? Vanilla Ice Cream ?

    This recipe is graciously donated to us by one of our amazing kitchen wizards Margo! You can meet her here.
    Margo says – ”This is my go-to recipe because you can always customize it by adding whatever flavourings or add-ins you’re in the mood for.”

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup sugarStep 1
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 7 large egg yolks
    • 1 ½ cups whole milk*
    • 1 cup whipping cream*
    • 1 vanilla bean (or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract)

    Instructions:

    1. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy. You should be able to drizzle some with your whisk and see it leave a trail.
    2. Split vanilla bean and scrape out seeds. Pour milk into a medium sized pot, add seeds and pod from vanilla bean and bring to a simmer.Step 2
    3. Remove from heat and temper with the egg yolk mixture. Pouring the hot milk very slowly and whisking the eggs as you go. Step 3
    4. Return mixture to pot and place on burner at medium-low heat. Whisk constantly until mixture slightly thickens and perfectly coats the back of a spoon.
    5. Pour through a strainer into a clean bowl. Stir in whipping cream, as well as vanilla extract if using instead of vanilla bean.
    6. Let chill in the fridge for 24 hours before churning.
    7. Follow directions for your ice cream maker, then chill for 2 hours.
    *If lactose intolerant like Margo, use lactose free whole milk and substitute whipping cream with a can of coconut milk. Make sure to refrigerate the can for a few hours ahead of time so the coconut cream separates from the water (you only want the cream!) Enjoy your ice cream, share your photos with us @thegoodsweetsto, and we will see you after your break. ??

    May the fork be with you always!
    – The GOoDS

    May 11, 2020

    Blog-The GOoDS Crew

    by Meridith Braun
    Fun

    Meet The GOoDS Crew

    Whether it’s a fleet of scrappy rebels taking on an empire, little ponies learning that friendship is magic, or an unlikely fellowship coming together to toss a ring into a volcano, geek culture has taught us time and again that teamwork makes the dream work.

    Here at the GOoDS, we’ve assembled our own super-team of sweets-lovers to make your sugared dreams a reality; and this week, we wanted to let you know a little more about us!

    SAM

    Commander-in-Sweets
    aka Founder, Co-Owner, Award-Winning Designer, and Master Creator
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • All of our cookies (especially the chewie-chocolate chip) and our Sea Witch truffle.
    Top Fandoms:
    • Chaotic neutral equal opportunity nerd — I love them all, with special shoutouts to Star Wars, Mass Effect, Muppets, Sandman, Farscape, DC, Disney Villains and Magic.
    Hobbies:
    • Is working a hobby? Otherwise I enjoy board games, video games, painting terrain for miniature games like Batman Miniatures and snuggling with my pup Shadow. I’m also learning how to play kalimba for my Bard D&D character who doesn’t know she’s magical… yet.
    How did you get into baking and sweets?
    • From the dawn of the human race there have been two things that have always brought people together: stories, and good food. I have always been a geek– I started as a kid with Star Wars, Renaissance Festivals, Pirates, and BTTF– and started baking when I was two. Mixing the two together came naturally to me. Through these two mediums that are so good at bringing people together regardless of their differences, I aim to make the world a sweeter place.
    If you could move to one of the planets in the Star Wars galaxy, which would it be and why?
    • Felucia is my favourite planet but there are way too many things that would try to eat me so that’s out…. After some deep thought, I would want to visit every planet, but I would want to live on Mandalor if this was before the clone wars. If it was after then I would want to put down roots on Naboo or with the Wookies on Kashyyyk. (Don’t judge me, I like the quiet pretty life with things that don’t try to kill me and Cloud City would be too boring and there aren’t enough trees.)
    When in history would you take your Delorean if you knew wouldn’t mess up the timeline?
    • I would go be a pirate with Anne Bonny and Jack Rackham for a while before popping over to the set of “Adventures of the Starkiller” (Star Wars: A New Hope’s working title) and watch the magic unfold while getting to meet the troublesome trio and the rest of the cast.
    Destruction, Control, or Synthesis?
    • #spoileralert, I chose Synthesis, but regardless of which choice you made, I’ll meet you at the bar.

    MERIDITHMeridith

    Emperor Chocolatine

    aka Co-owner, Chief Marketing Officer and Taste-tester
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Just one?! Daily fresh baked chocolate cookies and Sloane’s Heavenly Cream Tea make my heart sing
    Top Fandoms:
    • Top Gun, Retro gaming, Pinball, Pikmen, Harry Potter, Seinfeld, Marvel, Walking Dead, Pixar
    Hobbies:
    • Board games, cooking/baking, interior design, video games, spending time with friends/family, raising 2 awesome boys
    What did you do before creating the GOoDS with Sam?
    • Wow…this could take a while. As a child of the 70s/80s and proud GenX-er, I grew up battling it out with my older brother on our head-to-head Coleco football game handheld or Vanguard, Berzerk or Pac-man on our Atari 2600. That began my first nerd passion that continued through the Super Nintendo years. Cut to post-university, a few years in NYC working in high-tech public relations and then remembering where my passion truly lay after playing Myst and seeing the first Playstation games — the video game industry. I spent almost 20 years helping to market every kind of game from Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers to Driver to Unreal Tournament through 4 different console and handheld cycles including the not long-lived but much loved Sega Dreamcast. My career highlight was creating the publishing arm for Digital Extremes from the ground up to self-publish our most successful game, Warframe. After that I pulled a Costanza and left on top. Beyond that I’ve been an avid cook, baker and amateur cake decorator since I was 6 years old so when I met Sam it seemed like a perfect match of our collective creative nerd forces!
    What’s your favourite interior detail or decoration at the cafe?
    • The exposed brick wall and art we’ve added to it is so fun and oddly enough the wallpaper we put in the cafe bathroom is one of my favorite decorations, also the cafe tables and chairs we chose especially the wingback chairs in the window really help add the charm to a comfy, cozy, quirky cafe.
    What Pixar character do you most identify with?
    • Elastigirl/Mrs. Incredible – kick-ass mom’s rule!
    When it comes to fighting the zombie horde, are you a ranged or melee kinda gal? And where is your post-apocalyptic stronghold?
    • I’ve put a lot of thought into this after too many seasons of the Walking Dead. Normally I’m a sniper fan but in the zombie apocalypse you need to polish all kinds of killing skills so I think I’d work on my melee attacks to stay agile. My stronghold would be a solar or windmill-powered farm in Montana or Idaho where population is scarce but living off the land is plentiful.
     

    MARGOMargo

    Cake Wizard

    aka Cake Decorator
    Fave GOoDS Treat: Chocolate Chip Cookie Top Fandoms:
    • Lord of the Rings, Legend of Zelda, Twin Peaks, the film industry/filmmakers
    Hobbies:
    • Arts and crafts, LEGO minifigures, film photography, cringing through 90 Day Fiance
    What’s a cake design you’ve felt extra proud of?
    • I think I would say the Stranger Things cake I did with Sam [which can be seen on our Instagram!]. I think the demogorgon I created looks really cool; I like sculpting figures.
    With a tip of the hat to Agent Cooper, favourite pie flavour?
    • Blueberry! Warm blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream… oh boy.
    Where in Middle Earth would you want to live?
    • Hmm. I feel like I should say Rivendell because of how gorgeous it is, but it’s also just so fancy. Maybe too fancy. For me. Hahah. Would have to be The Shire, even though that’s probably the most obvious answer. I just love the small town feel, gorgeous little houses with all the beautiful wood interiors, rolling hills and gardens… * drifts off into daydreams *
     

    NATASHANatasha

    Dough Whisperer

    aka Baker
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Garlic Parmesan Scones and Texas Cheesecake Massacre
    Top Fandoms:
    • Scooby Doo, Mortal Kombat, Fire Emblem, DC (Villains in particular)
    Hobbies:
    • D&D, video gaming, baking, writing
    If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be and why?
    • I’d be a Rainbow Chip cookie, crispy and colourful.
    Black Eagles, Blue Lions, or Golden Deer?
    • Well I’d have to say Golden Deer, but most of my favourite students come from the Black Eagles house.
    Who has the best FATALITY moves?
    • Easy, Erron Black simply because he is a handsome cowboy so he wins at life.
     

    MANDYMandy

    Chief Chocoholic

    aka Chocolatier
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookie
    Top Fandoms:
    • It’s hard to pick but there’s a special place in my heart for Disney Princesses, Harry Potter, D&D, and comic books
    Hobbies:
    • Chasing my kids (6 and 7), baking sourdough bread, painting, watching too much TV
    What’s the most peculiar chocolate you’ve ever had?:
    • The most intriguing bonbon I’ve had was from Onyx and flavoured like Tom Yum Soup.
    What are your House and Patronus?:
    • I am a Hufflepuff and my patronus is a Doe.
    Who’s your favourite Disney princess, and why?:
    • Belle; fiercely loyal and uniquely herself, she stands up for what she believes in and doesn’t take crap from anyone, especially Gaston.
     

    MARIANNEMarianne

    E-mail Gremlin

    aka Marketing and Community Management
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Eldritch Blast
    Top Fandoms:
    • Steven Universe, Sailor Moon, Animal Crossing, horror movies
    Hobbies:
    • Cosplay, hand-sewing, reading, video games, drawing, witchery
    If the GOoDS social accounts were a Sailor Scout, which one would they be and why?
    • Probably Sailor Pluto, who is the guardian of the portals of space and time. Potentially not fully human. Has great style, cares for others, super cute with a little dash of darkness
    What kind of witch are you?
    • I’m definitely a kitchen witch. All my favourite witchy things are centred on the home. And what could be more enchanting than a delicious cookie, baked with love?
    What would your personal Steven Universe gemstone be?
    • Probably Opalite? It’s definitely super pretty but its appearance will change depending on whether it’s placed on a black or white background. It’s mostly milky in colour but reflects oranges, pinks, blues, and violets. Opalite is apparently all about self-worth and self-esteem and I dig that! It is also supposed to be good for smoothing tough transitions in life and helping keep things on an even keel.
     

    KELSEYKelsey

    Head Cafe NPC

    aka Front of House Supervisor
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Sponge Toffee
    Top Fandoms:
    • Cardcaptor Sakura, Harry Potter, Animal Crossing
    Hobbies:
    • Competitive cosplay (local and international), embroidery, video games
    What makes The GOoDS’s customers so awesome?:
    • Their excitement when they walk into the shop or visit our convention booths.
    What’s your best cosplaying memory?:
    • Hearing our team name called when we won the honour of representing Canada in Nagoya, and hearing our Country called when we passed to the second round/ Finals at the World Cosplay Summit. And not a memory per se but all the wonderful friends I’ve made around the world through the hobby!
    Tom Nook– saint or tyrant?:
    • Saint, that raccoon lets me pay back my 0 interest loan at my own pace. I wish he could give me a mortgage in real life.
     

    Damian

    DAMIAN

    Humble Cash Monkey

    aka Front of House Team
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Salted Caramel Cookie
    Top Fandoms:
    • Destiny 2, Haikyuu!!, ONE OK ROCK
    Hobbies:
    • Volleyball, doodling, napping with cats
    What’s the best joke you’ve drawn for our sidewalk sign?
    • The Christmas + New Year board that said “Merry Geekmas & a Happy Nerd Year” in Star Wars font.
    What’s your preferred class/species in Destiny 2?
    • I’m a crayon-eating Titan main/Exos for life.
    If you were an anime trope, what would you be?
    • Easy, shounen protagonist. I believe in the Power of Friendship.
     

    KIRAKira

    Merchant’s Apprentice

    aka Front of House Team
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Cookies and Cream Cake
    Top Fandoms:
    • Disney (esp. Villains), Jim Henson, Pokémon, RPDR
    Hobbies:
    • Reading, jigsaw puzzles, handicrafts, movies, quirky video games
    What’s your favourite drink to make?
    • Butterbeer, in all its sparkly magical glory.
    Which Disney villain do you think would have what it takes to win RPDR?
    • Leaving aside Ursula, who already is a drag queen (see also: Divine), definitely Cruella de Vil. A cackling high-fashion queen who’d crush the sewing challenges and read the other queens for filth.
    What movie would you pay to see reenacted by The Muppets?
    • The Grand Budapest Hotel. Big cast, bright aesthetic, hijinks… Like, how has there NOT been a Wes Anderson/Muppets joint at this point?
     

    RyanRYAN

    Mild-Mannered Reporter for the Daily Bugle

    aka Photographer and Videographer
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Leftover cake from YouTube episode filming
    Top Fandoms:
    • Horror/genre films, and whatever video game I’m currently playing
    Hobbies:
    • Harassing my cats, making bleeps and bloops on a two-tier table of synthesizers, Twitch streaming classic games (twitch.tv/ry_tron), paying off my mortgage to Tom Nook
    What was your most memorable shoot with the GOoDS?
    • That time I filmed Sam get murdered by Michael Myers. What a nice day.
    Who is your favourite cat from pop culture?
    • Catbus, from My Neighbor Totoro
    Which gaming system best represents you and why?
    • Sega Saturn, as my mind is often on another planet and my films have only gotten stranger over time.
     

    GOoDieGOoDie

    Lovable Mischievous Mascot

    aka The Lovable Mischievous Mascot
    Fave GOoDS Treat:
    • Neptune caramel sea salt chocolate truffle and the customers that stay after closing.
    Top Fandoms:
    • Oh pirates and steampunk for sure! But also pingpong because I always win. I also have a soft spot for National Geographic, I like when they say my friends (like nessie, bigfoot and my lovable pal Ron) and I don’t exist. Cracks me up every time.
    Hobbies:
    • Outside of making every genre delicious? Swimming, sculpting and sinking ships into the watery abyss. Don’t worry, I only do that on my days off.
    If you could have hands instead…would you?
    • Sometimes I accidentally get tangled with the apron strings when I put on my apron, but otherwise tentacles are practically perfect in every way.
    If you could bake a cake for anyone, who would it be?
    • Well that’s easy, obviously Kermit the frog. He’s my idol. *Starts humming Mana, Mana….
    What would you say your strengths are?
    • I’m a team player and always willing to take whisks! Sometimes they don’t like that though.
    And that’s our GOoDS crew! Although we’re all stuck in isolation right now, rest assured our Borg-like hive mind is always plotting through our advanced communication system (aka Zoom) to ensure that once we’re back to business, your resistance to our delicious snacks will be futile. But like… in a good way.

    We want to meet you! Take a selfie or create a sketch and tag us @thegoodsweetsto #goodsweetsfamily

    Big props to our resident artist, Damian who made us all into cartoon form for this blog…the talents never cease to amaze with our crew!

    May the fork be with you
    – The Grand Order of Divine Sweets

    May 4, 2020

    Blog-May The 4th

    by Samantha Lapointe
    Chocolate, Vegan

    Yub-Nub!

    Today, is my second favourite day of the year – May 4th!
    It gives even the most humble of Star Wars fans a socially acceptable excuse (not that some of us need it ?) to go all out for one of our favourite fandoms. And even social distancing won’t stop us – in fact, it may make the celebrations stronger, as it teaches us that in the darkness, there is always light, there is always hope. “That’s how we’re gonna win this. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love.”

    This Star Wars day, pop over to the Official Star Wars website for some fun online games, trivia, recipes and offline activities

    – Or –

    Join in the Virtual Star Wars Convention that has been created by ReedPop – the organizers behind the Official Star Wars Celebrations! The Online Revelry will take place May the 4th and Revenge of the 5th (May 5th) and will feature multiple virtual events, including live-tweeting movies and episodes, trivia with the chance to win prizes, Q&A sessions and panels with writers and voice actors and giveaways! This virtual con will take place across social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!

    For the full May 4th schedule visit EMC2020.com/force And find the full May 5th schedule at Supercon20.com/force

    – And –

    To keep your body, and taste buds happy while traveling to a galaxy far far away, also check out a favourite recipe by one of our talented kitchen crew, she swears by this Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse.

    Honestly, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I tried it, and not only was it delicious, it was also fast, easy to make, only 4 ingredients that are a bit easier to find than others AND also packed with protein, the perfect stay at home apocalypse fuel.

    So, we all agree that Darth Vader was kind of the worst but also, very misunderstood and was at his best when he had Obi-wan, Ashoka and his other solid group of loved ones to help balance him? That’s kind of how I feel about tofu. It has a really terrible reputation but it’s actually a blank canvas ready to receive your flavour boost, and that’s what we’re going to do today.

    Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse

    Ingredients
    • – 1 packet silken or soft tofu, room temperature
    • – 100g / 4oz vegan dark chocolate
    • – 1 tsp vanilla
    • – 1 tbsp maple syrup
    Preparation
    1. Melt your chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave (in 30 second bursts, stir between each burst) and ensure that chocolate is fully melted. Set aside.
    2. Whip your room temperature tofu using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer or hand blender. Whisk until very smooth looking, then add vanilla and maple syrup.
    3. Pour in melted chocolate and whisk until smooth, then portion into individual cups or small bowls. Serve at room temp for creamiest texture.
    Tips and variations
    The tofu must be room temperature or the chocolate will partially set in the mix and not have a smooth texture.

    This is designed as a vegan or dairy free dessert, but you can easily substitute any type of chocolate you’d like or replace the maple syrup with honey, agave, or simple syrup. The vanilla can be swapped for peppermint extract, espresso, grand marnier, or any other flavour booster of your choice.

    Sets quite firm in the fridge, you can even pour this into a prepared graham crumb pie crust or crushed Oreo crust (Thats what I did! ?) and serve sliced once it has set.

    As always, we hope you and your family are safe and wish each and every one of you a spectacular May 4th.

    Remember, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

    For my May 4th gift, I would like it if you did one nice thing for someone today, even if that someone is yourself.

    May the fork be with you. Always.
    -The Grand Order of Divine Sweets


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    CAKE FLAVOURS & FILLINGS

    Step 1 Choose Cake Flavour

    (choose one) 

    Vanilla Cake 

    Chocolate Cake

    Red Velvet Cake 

    *Vanilla and chocolate cake can be made gluten free by request $5 fee

    **cannot guarantee trace amounts

    Step 2 Choose Filling

    (choose one)

    BUTTERCREAM  OPTIONS:

    Vanilla Bean
    Ice Wine Lavender
    Lemon Cream
    Chocolate
    Cream Cheese
    Hazelnut Crunch
    Cookies & Cream
    Peanut Butter Caramel
    Stone Ground Matcha

    GANACHE OPTIONS:

    Double Chocolate Raspberry
    Caramel Sea Salt
    Earl Grey Cream
    Chocolate Espresso
    Dark Spiced Rum