When Natalie Choi, Emma Keevers, and Rachel Lu signed up for culinary courses at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, they entered the program as strangers. Now, a few years later, not only are the trio close friends, but they are also business partners in their first restaurant, Yaletown's new Wren Café.
Wren opened in June and is occupying the space that had previously - and briefly - been Vancouver's first Hazukido franchise.
The trio was drawn to the space as it is in a neighbourhood that has lots of residents and foot traffic. Lu says they liked how Yaletown is "downtown but also not really downtown." Their goal: To offer a welcoming space with great food, pastries, and drinks that is a "casual hangout place for people to chill," Lu describes.
As a fantastic incentive, the location had also been recently renovated for the prior tenant, meaning not much as far as interior design in the dining room had to change.
However, as a from-scratch bakery café, the Wren team needed to make some significant changes in the kitchen, chiefly to bring in all the equipment needed to bake fresh pastries and bread, as well as prepare their menu of French-inspired brunch and lunch dishes.
How three culinary school friends became business owners
Then there was the name and logo, which cleverly represents Choi, Keevers, and Lu and their shared experience at culinary school: The R, E, and N in Wren stand for Rachel, Emma, and Natalie, and the logo, a blue bird, is a nod to Le Cordon Bleu.
The idea for the café began, as these ventures often do, with a phone call. Lu reached out to classmate Choi and suggested they pursue opening a business with Keevers.
For Choi and Lu, Vancouver is home, but Keevers hails from Ireland. She returned to Ireland after graduation and worked as a pastry chef, continuing to hone her talent as the logistics of her visa were sorted before she could return to Canada.
Though their Cordon Bleu program was just one year, Choi says the classmates wound up spending a tremendous amount of time together, from 8 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. at times, seeing each other through things like pulling sugar or making chocolate sculptures and wedding cakes. After they all earned their grand diplomas in cuisine and pastry, Keevers and Lu went on to study bread-making, known as boulangerie.
Ultimately, their chosen paths in school guided their roles for Wren Café. Lu heads up the baking program and is in charge of overall management, Keevers is the head pastry chef, and Choi oversees the café menu.
Bakery and brunch menu: French influence and attention to detail
Overall, the menu at Wren reflects a strong French sensibility with some thoughtful twists based on seasonality and clientele. For example, Lu's muffin-sized focaccia breads have proven popular with people in the area looking for a savoury grab-and-go option, while Keevers' tiramisu is made with decaf espresso, making it a kid-friendly treat for the many families in the neighbourhood.
Keevers' vision for Wren's pastry is to offer classics with a spin. So far, the bestsellers have been the choux pastry with hazelnut praline (two rings of deceptively delicate pastry sandwiching whipped cream topped with crunchy-sweet morsels of sugary hazelnuts) and the fraisier (essentially a strawberry shortcake).
That said, the plan is to work with what's in season and to rotate in new items in order to keep it interesting for guests.
The French influence is strong on the brunch menu, too, which Choi took charge of. One of the most popular options so far is the open-faced sandwich trio (on Lu's bread) with smoked salmon, egg salad, and pear and prosciutto, the latter made with a delectable pesto yogurt. There are options like a pulled pork sandwich, eggs benny, and
The attention to detail at Wren Cafe is evident in many of its menu items, from the confit garlic puree in the Hollandaise sauce to the blueberry puree for their in-house sodas, to the house-made garlic butter that comes with the bread served alongside the restaurant's soup of the day.
If you're lucky enough to be there on a day Wren is serving its tomato soup, do not hesitate to order a bowl, no matter the weather. The tomato soup is best in its class, filled with bright, ripe, fresh tomato flavour rounded out with tremendous depth; it's an incredibly satisfying and delicious bowl.
'We're very good teammates'
The trio has big ambitions for Wren Cafe, with a hope to expand with additional Vancouver locations in the future.
For now, however, Choi, Keevers, and Lu are focused on making Wren a Yaletown staple with a welcoming atmosphere and top-notch café fare. They're also growing in their new roles as business owners after being classmates and friends.
"We're very good teammates," Choi says.
Wren Café is located at 280 Nelson St and is open Tuesday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Follow @wren.cafe on Instagram.
Video: New French-inspired bakery with brunch in Vancouver
@forkingawesomevia This is Wren Cafe, a new French-inspired bakeshop serving casual, tasty brunch and lunch with coffee, tea, and treats in Vancouver. @Wren Cafe is an independent cafe owned by three talented cuilnary school friends. PS: They make the best tonato soup I’ve ever had at a restaurant! #forkingawesome #vancouverbc ♬ Ghibli-style nostalgic waltz - MaSssuguMusic
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