The best dark chocolate, intense espresso, heavenly tea: What Delysées co-owner Fred Naggar keeps in his kitchen

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Years ago, when Parisian-born entrepreneur Fred Naggar first decided to move back to Toronto from Los Angeles to be closer to family and his now-wife, Khariz Naggar, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. Trained in George Brown’s culinary program, he’d left the food world for the fashion industry in the U.S., but wanted to take up a new pursuit upon his return to the city. Then Khariz, who has a background in architecture, art and jewelry design, had a thought: What about a high-end French-style patisserie?

Together, the couple started Delysées Luxury Desserts in 2013 with a location on King Street, specializing in pretty macarons and mousse cakes. The concept took off quickly, and they soon opened a separate kitchen for wholesale orders. When the original bakery’s lease was up, the two shuttered the retail shop to focus on the wholesale side.

Then the pandemic hit, and the orders stopped coming. Again, Fred credits Khariz with their next move: launching online orders of their popular pastries. When that took off, they knew it was time for another location.

The new Delysées (131 Ossington Ave.), an elegant dessert bar, opened in early October. Here, you’ll find the same intricate sweets they’re known for, alongside coffees and, eventually, cocktails. “We know Ossington doesn’t have a morning crowd,” Fred says. “We wanted to give people somewhere nice to go for dessert and continue their evening after dinner.”

When Fred isn’t taking care of Delysées business, he’s enjoying time in his home kitchen with his family. Here, he shares some of his favourite pantry staples.

The multipurpose chocolate

Fred loves this vegan Belgian dark chocolate for snacking and using in dessert recipes, like the flourless chocolate cake his seven-year-old daughter loves to bake. A go-to brand for bakers and patissiers, it’s versatile and great for tempering, with subtle fruity notes. “It doesn’t have a touch of bitterness, so it works perfectly for us,” he says. “I only have good things to say about it.”

Belcolade dark semi-sweet chocolate 55.9%, $26, vanillafoodcompany.ca

The go-to roast

“Sometimes, I find that espresso coffees can be a bit light,” says Fred. Nespresso’s Ispirazione Ristretto Italiano capsules don’t have that problem. One of the company’s darker roasts, it’s intense but not overwhelming and has fruity and acidic notes. Fred likes it so much, he bought himself a Nespresso machine and plans to add espresso martinis to the Delysées menu.

Nespresso Ispirazione Ristretto Italiano espresso capsules, $8, nespresso.com

The quality nuts

When wanting to add crunch to his baking, Fred always goes to Oakville, Ont.-based company David Roberts for almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and more. “We love them because they’re local and properly priced for what you get,” he says. “There are a lot of companies selling nuts for much cheaper, but David Roberts is always consistent and high-quality.”

David Roberts Food Corporation hulled pistachios, $10, davidrobertsfood.com

The dessert extra

Most people don’t need to stock up on food colouring, but if you’re, say, experimenting with macarons (a Delysées staple), Fred loves Roxy & Rich’s water-soluble option. The powder is intensely pigmented and can be used in pretty much anything that isn’t fatty. “It integrates into meringue really well and gives our macarons a better texture,” he says.

Roxy & Rich intense water soluble food colourant, from $22, howsweetisthat.ca