Who can make a cake in just 15 minutes? Toni says she can! (4 photos)

Baking cakes is in Toni Pellegrino’s blood.

A baker for 50 years, Toni emigrated from Italy to Canada when she was 14, starting in her profession at Superior Home Bakery.

She worked for several Sault bakeries before opening Toni’s Cakery with her husband Albert on Gore Street in 1994.

“I love it,” said Toni of running her own business, speaking to SooToday.

Toni’s Cakery, at 177 Gore St., will be closed Nov. 27, 2017, but Toni and Albert hope to reopen their shop and see their regular customers again in the New Year.

Toni’s wide range of products include not only cakes, but also an desserts, deli sandwiches, soups, salads, fresh bread, pasta, party trays, and much more. 

But again, Toni said baking cakes is her “main thing.”

“The more challenging it is, the better. I can make any cake from any picture you can bring me in, I’ll make it.”

“I’m fast. I can do a cake in 15 minutes, and the big wedding cakes take about six hours, and that’s very fast, but I’ve been doing it for 50 years.”

Toni has made wedding cakes with as many as 12 tiers for weddings and wedding shows.  

“We’ve done tons of wedding cakes through the years. Weddings at that time were from January through December, not like now. We used to do 13 wedding cakes a weekend. It was fun.”

“People used to line up outside and we made up to 150 cakes in one day, but then there were five people working here making cakes,” Toni recalled.

Currently, Toni and Albert run the shop, assisted by Pam Ouimet (who has worked for Toni for 15 years).

Summers remain busy for Toni due to summer weddings, and then there’s Christmas, of course.

On average, Toni currently puts out between 40 and 60 cakes a week.

“I love to do cakes because it’s what I’ve done most of my life and I l love the smiles on the people’s faces when they come and pick them up.”

“It’s so rewarding to make them because sometimes people take time to call me back to tell me how good and tasty the cake was, in appreciation.”

“Customers have always been loyal to us, so we’ve been very loyal to our customers. We make sure we always give them the best,” Toni said.

“I’m hoping to be back full blast (in the New Year, after dealing with some health issues), or if somebody else buys the business, I’d like to train them.”