Big plans for macaron shop

While touring New York last summer, Sidney and Yaelle Lugassy were drawn to several macaron shops around the city.

“We hooked up with a French gentlemen who came from France and opened up a few of these stores called Bo & Bon,” he says. “I hit it off with him and bought the rights to Canada.”

The pair opened their first Bo & Bon on Bathurst Street at Brooke Avenue near the 401 in February, which in addition to macarons features kosher cupcakes, marshmallows, meringues, chocolates, cookies and specialty cakes.

“The macarons are by far the most popular,” he says. “Ours are the only ones on the market that are dairy free. Everything is made from scratch, all natural, no additives, no preservatives.”

Although they were given the macaron recipe, mastering the cupcake recipe wasn’t as easy, he says.

“There was a lot of trial and error with the cupcakes,” he says. “Doing them dairy free was a bit challenging but we overcame that hurdle.”

Lugassy hopes people take notice of the décor when they enter the shop — designed by his wife — as well as the product packaging, presentation and most importantly the taste, he says.

“We want to hit them with all the senses.”

Since opening, he’s enjoyed meeting customers and being told they appreciate having a Parisian bakery in the city, he says, adding that expansion plans are already set.

“We’re in negotiations now for another three to four locations in the city and we want to expand it to make it the Starbucks of the macaron world,” he says.