‘Made me feel really happy’: Halifax pastry chef finds success with inclusive baking

A Halifax baker whips-up desserts, so no one misses out on sweet treats.

Ivy K. Chipman started baking during the pandemic because her son Theo loved chocolate chip cookies.

“I fell in love with baking,” she told CTV News.

“I went to the NSCC and I studied baking and pastry arts theory.”

When she was done school, Chipman began working in a hotel and catering group as a pastry chef.

After two years, she realized there was an untapped market waiting for her so she started Bake Theory.

“I really feel for people, they want something different for their lifestyle and dietary needs. Everyone has different taste buds,” she said. “So, it pushed me to start something. I can do custom baking for them.”

Chipman sells her products at the Brewery Market in the old Keith’s building in Halifax.

“When I started selling… people come and ask me, ‘Oh, is it with dairy? Is it with egg? Is it with gluten?’” she said.

“Then they look at one and say, ‘It looks so good but I cannot have it.’ So that made me feel, I have to push dessert and pastry. We shouldn’t exclude anyone.”

She started catering towards gluten free and vegan dietary needs and experimented with different ingredients to make them taste like the originals.

“I don’t really use artificial chemical ingredients to force them together,” she said.

“I like to use natural ingredients, especially like sugar, because many people are concerned about it. So, I try to get inspiration from different kind of ingredients in-season, locally sourced.”

Chipman uses fruits and ingredients like prunes and dark chocolate to create sweetness.

“And then when things are put together, it’s magic,” she said.

When she created her company, Chipman made sure to take allergies into consideration.

“This is something really, really important to me because allergies can be serious. Some people have really serious reactions,” she said.

“When I bake gluten-free products, I will empty the kitchen timeslot and clean everything before I bake, just to be safe.”

Chipman once had a client ask her to make a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie cake for his girlfriend, who has celiac disease.

“I created a layer of different textures. So, it’s not like three big chunks of cookie together and then the outcome is not just beautiful, it tastes like a regular product,” she said. “They were so happy they came back to the Halifax Brewery market to look for me to say, ‘It’s really good’ and show me some pictures of the celebration. So, it really made me feel really happy.”

As for how she comes up with her ideas, Chipman says it sometimes comes down to trial and error.

“A lot of studying and testing and product development, it’s a bit more challenging. But I like challenges,” she said.

“I feel like mass production is good, it’s convenient, but it’s not like customized to everyone. Desserts and baking are international. I take inspiration from different countries or trending recipes or old, traditional, nostalgia, like something that brings back your childhood memories. So, I just keep learning, keep testing.”

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