Torontonians certainly adore their baked goods and luckily for us, the city has its fair share of incredible bakeries to get our fix of sourdough bread, croissants, donuts and other treats. But when was the last time, if ever, that you saw an authentic, European-style apple strudel at the counter of your favourite shop?
Benjamin Begero, also known as Strudel Dude, experienced some significant changes (that are familiar to many by now) once the pandemic hit, including losing his position as chef de cuisine at an Italian restaurant. Rather than trying to find another position in the restaurant industry, however, Begero took his situation as an opportunity to start something new to utilize his talents best. Growing up in Germany and fond of his home cuisine, he decided to make strudel after experimenting in his own kitchen. When an old pastry book from his grandfather surfaced, he began playing around with different sizes, fillings and doughs, and Strudel Dude was born.
Begero is from a small town in Germany called Bammental, where he grew up around parents that cooked nearly every meal at home and spent summers working at his aunt and uncle's bakery. As it is known in Germany, Apfelstrudel is a dish that his father would make on occasion for the family. "Through a child's eyes, the combination of flaky pastry, warm apples and delicious vanilla sauce fascinated me," he says. "Maybe I knew then that this was something truly special." Although his dad very sadly passed away in early 2020, Ben knows that carrying on this family tradition would make him very proud.
Strudel is a relatively uncommon pastry to find here in Toronto, which begs the question: what actually is apple strudel? There are several European cultures that make a pastry that surrounds apple filling, but Ben explains that his "is more akin to the Hungarian variety, with hand-stretched, paper-thin dough and a filling that is not too sweet but still sweet enough." The filling contains both Granny Smith and Fuji apples, which provide the ideal balance of sweet and tart and toasted almonds, raisins, breadcrumbs, a few spices and lemon juice. For the accompanying vanilla sauce, he makes a crème anglaise using egg yolks, cream, sugar and vanilla, which has a silky texture and lends the perfect finishing touch to the pastry. Every strudel he makes is artfully prepared, with meticulously stretched dough that gets brushed with butter and cinnamon sugar for a crispy golden exterior that envelops the cooked apple filling.
Luckily for Ben, it turns out that there is a large demand for strudel from the Brazilian community here in Toronto, with who he has a connection via his partner, due to the German expats who settled in Brazil post-World War II. Combined with his product's uniqueness, there has been a very positive response to his product thus far, and he plans to continue developing more seasonal strudel flavours like Ontario peach, cherry and wild Quebec blueberry to showcase the best of our local produce.
In the future, Begero plans to have his product available through delivery services and at some restaurants in addition to those it is currently in, such as Beast Bodega, Grow Gather & Co, Haute Coffee, Schmaltz Appetizing and Brazilian Market Online. He will also be partnering with local producers to offer seasonal collection baskets for holidays, so stay tuned for those throughout the year. For now, order some of his handmade and mouthwateringly delicious apple strudel via the link in his Instagram bio, and be prepared to fall in love with this lovely European pastry.
