They Grew Up Eating Mille-Feuille and Fraisier in Côte d'Ivoire. Now They're Making the Real Thing in Inglewood.
Djim and Louise Tondoh moved to Calgary in 2019 carrying a deep familiarity with French pastry from their West African childhood — where French cuisine was woven into everyday life, not reserved for special occasions. When they couldn't find what they were looking for, Louise started making it herself.
August 6, 2026 · By Justin Plosz · Calgary, Alberta · Business · 5 min read read
French Pastry from a West African Childhood
Most people think of French pastry as something you find in France. Djim and Louise Tondoh grew up with it in Côte d'Ivoire.
The Ivory Coast was a French colony, and French language and culinary culture became embedded in daily life over generations. For the Tondohs, mille-feuille, fraisier, and elaborately constructed fruit tarts were not luxury items reserved for formal occasions. They were the kind of thing that appeared at birthdays, holidays, family gatherings — ordinary moments, elevated by food that required genuine skill to produce.
"Our thing is offering people in Calgary an opportunity to taste what those traditional pastries in France are like," says Djim, who handles the business side of Pâtisseries Louise. "And growing up in Côte d'Ivoire, we had that every day."
When they moved to Calgary in 2019, they looked for those familiar flavours and found nothing that matched what they had grown up with. Louise, who had always baked for friends and family and had long aspired to become a Cheffe Pâtissière, started filling the gap herself. She was self-taught to begin with. She refined her technique through masterclasses with world-renowned pastry chefs. By June 2024, she was ready to sell.
Pâtisseries Louise launched as a home-based online bakery. The initial response — particularly to her fruit tartlets — was strong enough that a permanent location became the obvious next step.
A Marble-and-Concrete Storefront in Inglewood
In December 2025, Pâtisseries Louise opened its first brick-and-mortar location at 1002 9 Ave SE in Inglewood — one of Calgary's most distinctive inner-city neighbourhoods, known for its concentration of independent food and retail businesses.
The space reflects the same care that goes into the pastry: marble and concrete interiors that evoke a Parisian boutique without trying to be a replica of one. The display counter at the front holds that day's offerings under glass — individual-sized pastries and tarts that customers can choose on the spot.
The individual menu includes fruit tartlets in a range of flavours, the mille-feuille — layers of flaky puff pastry filled with pastry cream — and the fraisier, a classic French strawberry cake built in visible, precise layers. Larger format cakes are available as well: la vie en rouge, a chocolate and red fruit creation; a cherry and chocolate tart; and others that must be ordered three days in advance.
"She was always making things for birthday parties and holidays," Djim says of Louise's path to the bakery. "I told my wife, 'Why not just try it?'"
The storefront is open Thursday through Sunday. Pâtisseries Louise also continues to offer online ordering for customers who cannot visit in person.
Why Authenticity Is the Whole Point
The thing that distinguishes Pâtisseries Louise from the French-inspired patisseries that have appeared in Canadian cities over the past decade is not presentation or ambiance — it is the fundamental relationship the founders have with the food.
Djim and Louise Tondoh did not discover French pastry as adults and decide to learn a new skill set. They grew up inside a food culture where these techniques and flavours were simply what dessert meant. Louise's instinct as a baker is not to approximate French pastry for a Canadian market; it is to produce the real thing, because she grew up eating it and knows exactly what it should taste like.
That distinction matters to anyone who has eaten a genuinely good mille-feuille and compared it to a version produced by someone working from a recipe rather than a memory. The difference is not subtle.
Calgary's Inglewood is a well-chosen home for the business. The neighbourhood attracts food-literate customers who are looking for exactly the kind of thing Pâtisseries Louise offers — not a chain, not a franchise, not a local interpretation of something imported, but the real thing made by people who have been living inside its culinary tradition for their entire lives.
For anyone in Calgary who has been looking for French pastry that actually tastes like France, the address is 1002 9 Ave SE.
Key takeaways
- Pâtisseries Louise was founded by Chef Louise Tondoh and her husband Djim, who are from Côte d'Ivoire — a French-speaking West African country where traditional French pastry was part of everyday life, not a special occasion.
- After moving to Calgary in 2019 and finding no equivalent to the food they grew up eating, Louise — self-taught and later trained through masterclasses with world-renowned chefs — launched Pâtisseries Louise as an online bakery in June 2024.
- The Inglewood storefront at 1002 9 Ave SE opened in December 2025, featuring a marble-and-concrete interior and a glass display counter with daily selections of individual pastries.
- The menu includes fruit tartlets, mille-feuille, fraisier, la vie en rouge, and cherry and chocolate tarts; larger format cakes require three days' advance notice.
- The distinction between Pâtisseries Louise and French-inspired competitors is rooted in lived cultural familiarity — Louise produces French pastry from within a food tradition she grew up inside, not as a technical exercise.
- The storefront is open Thursday through Sunday in Inglewood; online ordering is also available at patisserieslouise.com.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Pâtisseries Louise in Calgary?
- Pâtisseries Louise is located at 1002 9 Ave SE in the Inglewood neighbourhood of Calgary. The storefront opened in December 2025 and is open Thursday through Sunday. Online ordering is also available through patisserieslouise.com.
- Who founded Pâtisseries Louise?
- Pâtisseries Louise was founded by Chef Louise Tondoh and her husband Djim Tondoh. Both are from Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), a French-speaking West African country where traditional French pastries were part of everyday life. Louise serves as the pastry chef and creative director; Djim manages operations and business development.
- What does Pâtisseries Louise sell?
- Pâtisseries Louise sells authentic French pastries including fruit tartlets, mille-feuille, fraisier (strawberry layer cake), la vie en rouge (a chocolate and red fruit cake), and cherry and chocolate tarts. Individual pastries are available daily at the storefront; larger cakes require three days' advance notice. The bakery also offers online ordering.
- What is the Pâtisseries Louise story?
- Djim and Louise Tondoh grew up in Côte d'Ivoire, where French pastry was part of everyday food culture due to the country's French colonial history. After moving to Calgary in 2019, they found no equivalent to what they had grown up eating. Louise — self-taught, later trained through masterclasses with world-renowned chefs — launched Pâtisseries Louise as an online bakery in June 2024. Demand for her fruit tartlets and other pastries grew quickly, leading to the opening of the Inglewood storefront in December 2025.
- What are Pâtisseries Louise's hours?
- The Pâtisseries Louise Inglewood storefront is open Thursday through Sunday. For current hours, online ordering, and advance cake orders, visit patisserieslouise.com or contact the bakery directly.
- Is Pâtisseries Louise authentic French pastry?
- Yes. The founders, Djim and Louise Tondoh, grew up in Côte d'Ivoire, a French-speaking West African country where traditional French patisserie was woven into everyday food culture. Louise's approach to pastry is rooted in how she grew up eating it, refined through masterclasses with world-renowned pastry chefs. The commitment is to produce traditional French pastries as they are made in France, not a local approximation.
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