From biology to baking: Filigree Patisserie owner followed his heart and it led him to French pastries - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 03:22 AM | Calgary | -1.0°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
SaskatchewanREGINA BITES

From biology to baking: Filigree Patisserie owner followed his heart and it led him to French pastries

Kent Lukey, owner of Filigree Patisserie in Regina, wanted to focus his home-based business on French pastries and sweets because he identifies with the attention to detail and commitment to quality that underlines the countrys culinary arts.

Local foodie eats his way through Regina to share his take on whats good

A man in a white chef's coat pulls a tray of croissants off a rack. He's in a commercial kitchen.
Filigree Patisserie offers a regular slate of buttery, flaky pastries, like these pains au chocolat owner Kent Lukey is holding. (Dwight Lugay)

We've launched a Regina Bites newsletter!Sign upto get bite-sized tips on where to eat in Regina,and the stories behind the city's culinary diversity.

As a university student, Kent Lukey envisioned himself in a white coat toiling away at a stainless steel table.

"I wanted to study genetics to build artificial, lab-grown hearts," he said. "I've always really liked science."

Instead, he finds himself assembling macarons, croissants and chocolates through his Regina-based business Filigree Patisserie.

A box with a label reading 'Filigree' sits on a white marble tray. It is half opened, with cream and pink macarons visible inside. A few chocolate-covered caramels and an almost croissant  all cut in half   sit alongside the box. A milk chocolate bar is sitting unwrapped of its gold foil. A serrated knife streaked with chocolate is lying parallel to the tray.
Lukey had me taste some of his bestsellers: macarons, salted caramels, chocolate-coated caramels, chocolate-coated pecan caramels, a double-baked chocolate almond croissant, and a salted butter caramel chocolate bar. All of the chocolate at Filigree is sourced from a small town in France. (Dwight Lugay)

Lukey was two years into a biology degree when his grandmother passed away. She had instilled in him a passion for baking at an early age, so he changed course, choosing to follow his heart.

"I was always helping her bake," he recalled. "Most of the other grandchildren would come and help and then leave, but I would stay 'til the end."

Whereas his grandmother baked by feel, Lukey is meticulous. In that way, baking has allowed him to maintain his passion for science, precision and experimenting.

In fact, the name "Filigree" refers to an intricate, elegant cake decorating technique with curlicues and fine lines, which you can see on his company logo. Likewise, he was drawn to French pastries and sweets because he identifies with the attention to detail and commitment to quality that underlines the country's culinary arts.

"I remember visiting France for the first time and being enamoured with everyone having a croissant and a coffee in the morning. That's your breakfast. I loved that," he said.

A man in a white chef's jacket stands in a commercial kitchen outfitted with an oven and several rolling racks to hold trays of cooling food.
Lukey converted the unfinished basement of his home into a commercial kitchen to produce goods for Filigree Patisserie. (Dwight Lugay)

Filigree Patisserie really does smell like a boulangerie in Paris not that you can tell from the outside. The business is based in Lukey's home. Descending into the commercial kitchen he built in his basement, I felt let in on a secret.

Lukey's wares, though, have far from flown under the radar.

Macarons are "what started it all" for Filigree. They are just as you would taste in Paris: a delicate shell, chewy on the inside, and the jam in the middle is popping with natural flavour.

Filigree has since expanded to a line of caramels, seasonal pastries and artfully packaged chocolate bars.

A black box is opened to reveal a row of five macarons: cream, light pink, yellow, pistachio and chocolate. They sit on a white marble tray next to chocolate-covered caramels and an almond croissant.
Filigree Patisserie got its start with macarons: the delicate, melt-in-your mouth sandwich cookies France is known for. (Dwight Lugay)

Lukey sources all of his chocolate from Valrhona, a producer based in a small town in France.

Beginning with home deliveries which Lukey still does with the help of his husband Filigree products are now stocked in some stores in Regina and as far away as Calgary. This despite Lukey having never marketed his product to retailers, aside from posting photos to social media and setting up stalls at local farmers' markets and craft sales.

"I'm not a salesman," he said."All of our partnerships have come from word of mouth. People ask me if they can carry my product because they've tried it before and know what they're getting."

It's been a quick ascent for a business owner who launched at a challenging time.

Hot chocolate bombs, Pride and the Roughriders

Following his career-changing epiphany, Lukey enrolled at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary to study baking and pastry arts. During that time, he also founded Filigree Patisserie.

After graduation, he moved to Edmonton and worked at a patisserie and kept the Filigree brand going on the side, driving back to Calgary to sell his wares at farmers' markets.

In June 2020, he moved the business to Regina because, in his words, "the pandemic made everyone take stock of their life." He wanted to be closer to family, and his husband had a job opportunity in the Queen City.

Relocating a business during the pandemic was hectic, but profitable. Winter 2020 was marked by the "hot chocolate bomb trend" on social media, and demand for Filigree's offering was high. Lukey pumped out hundreds of bombs to satisfy people's cravings and experimentation while in lockdown.

A closeup of hands holding a sphere of chocolate coated with bits of candy cane.
Hot chocolate bombs are hollow balls of chocolate that dissolve in a mug when you pour hot milk over them. They're sometimes filled with other treats, like marshmallows. (Submitted by Kent Lukey)

He also made a name for himself with his annual line of vibrant Pride treats. Part of the proceeds support a local organization serving 2SLGBTQ+ people.

An overhead view of rainbow-coloured macarons, bonbons and a white chocolate bar that looks like it has been paint splattered.
Filigree Patisserie's Pride offerings in June change every year but always promise to be colourful. (Submitted by Kent Lukey)

Lukey's knack for high-quality goods and his connection to the community caught the eye of the Canadian Football League last year. He was tasked with creating a product to give out to VIP guests of the Grey Cup staying at Hotel Saskatchewan.

"I never would've thought as a little kid going to Rider games, that one day I'd be making chocolate bars for the CFL itself," he wrote when announcing the partnership on Facebook. "It's unreal."

A hand is seen breaking a row of chocolate squares off a milk chocolate bar that is flecked with gold. It is sitting on a gold wrapper.
The CFL chose Filigree's signature salted butter caramel chocolate bar for their VIP guests. It is decorated with edible gold flakes for a touch of luxe. (Dwight Lugay)

"Have faith in what you're doing," Lukey offered as advice for other creators who might be considering turning their passion into a business. "If you believe in the product and what you're providing, then people can see that. They know you're putting everything into what you're doing. That resonates with customers and they'll keep coming back."

Corrections

  • The caption of the lead image misidentified the type of pastry. They are pains au chocolat.
    Apr 20, 2023 8:11 AM CT

Add some good to your morning and evening.

A bite-sized newsletter on Reginas dining scene. Find out what foodies are craving and the stories behind the citys culinary diversity.

...

The next issue of Regina Bites will soon be in your inbox.

Discover all CBC newsletters in theSubscription Centre.opens new window

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.