Griddle me this Decadent hybrid brunch hunch pays off for couple’s croffle venture By: David Sanderson Posted: 2:00 AM CDT Saturday, Sep. 6, 2025

They had her at bacon.

Laura Meuckon is the events and programming co-ordinator for the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. One of Meuckon’s responsibilities is to help select dealers for the Downtown Winnipeg Farmers Market, which operates outdoors every Thursday from May until the first week of October, in the shadow of Manitoba Hydro Place.

In early July, Meuckon became intrigued with an application from Toasty Alley, a new enterprise run by Alain Pham and Hannah Nguyen. The married couple specializes in croffles, a trending dish that brings together the buttery flakiness of a croissant with the crustiness and grid-like appearance of a waffle.

“One of the goals this summer was to place more of an emphasis on food vendors,” Meuckon says, seated at the market’s information table on a recent Thursday morning.

“We really liked the idea that Alain and Hannah were introducing a unique product, plus their branding was very impressive. We invited them to take part, without even trying a croffle ourselves.”

Suffice it to say, that is no longer the case.

Meuckon can’t recall if it was Toasty Alley’s first or second appearance at the market, but after she eyed a sign advertising a croffle dubbed “baconnaise” (croffle bites topped with crumbled bacon, fried onions and a made-from-scratch cheese sauce), she excitedly placed her order.

“It was an indulgent experience, to say the least,” Meuckon reports.

“It was rich, it was filling… it was a meal and a dessert, all in one. It definitely had more gravitas than a regular waffle, plus it’s such an interesting process to watch them put the croissant dough on the waffle maker, then see how it turns out in the end.”

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Pham and Nguyen, both in their early 30s and both originally from Vietnam, met in Winnipeg in 2018, while each was studying agribusiness at the University of Manitoba. Nguyen laughs, saying Pham was initially her French tutor, but after they hit it off romantically, she immediately dropped French from her curriculum.

In 2021, the pair traveled to South Korea for a vacation. There, they noshed on croffles for the first time, purchasing them from a street vendor.

“There was nothing like it back in Winnipeg, and that’s when we got the idea that maybe we should start a (croffle) business of our one day,” Pham says, seated in a Regent Avenue coffee shop situated 10 minutes from their home in Transcona.

They did their homework over the next two years, learning that croffles, which first gained popularity in East Asia, were actually invented in Dublin in 2017, by chef and TV host Louise Lennox. Furthermore, they discovered the pastries, which food reviewers were claiming “offer the perfect balance of crunch and fluff,” had gained widespread exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people stuck at home began posting videos on social media of fruit-laden croffles they were turning out in the comfort of their own kitchen.

By 2023, croffles were popping up on restaurant menus all over the world, including Sharpfle Waffle in Ottawa, which presently offers close to a dozen sorts at its two locations, including a croffle quesadilla and an egg-salad croffle, the latter an open sandwich prepared with arugula and yuzu dressing.

This spring, Pham and Nguyen decided the time was right. They invested in a pair of heavy-duty waffle irons, before donning their aprons and getting to work. Making the croissant dough proved simple enough. Nguyen describes her mom as an excellent baker, and they adopted her time-tested croissant recipe, which she messaged them from Ho Chi Minh City.

A s’moffle — that’s a s’mores croffle, done with chocolate, whipped cream and marshmallows — was one of the first to make the cut. Other inspired creations were the “Biscoffle,” with crushed Biscoff biscuits as the star attraction, and a pistachio sort, garnished with nuts and whipped cream.

They wanted a few savoury options, as well. Inspired by a shared platter of nachos, they developed a cheese lovers’ special — a croffle slathered in melted Parmesan and marble cheese.

After securing their food handler’s licence — and landing space in a commercial kitchen in South Osborne — they successfully applied for the Tyndall Community Market, scheduled for July 1 at Tyndall Community Centre on King Edward Street. (They settled on the name Toasty Alley because back home in Vietnam, most street vendors set up in alleyways, Pham reports. And toasty because of Winnipeg’s frigid winters — “how people are always trying to keep toasty,” he smiles.)

Despite rain and strong winds throughout most of Canada Day, their debut was a success. They managed to sell out, which was quite the achievement, they felt, considering 90 per cent of their customers admitted to not being familiar with croffles when they stepped in line.

“That’s still the case for a lot of people,” Nguyen says, explaining toppings, syrups and croissant dough are kept in a portable fridge they transport to and from markets.

“We get asked what a croffle is and we say it’s the best of both worlds — part croissant and part waffle.”

Matthew Manzano is the co-owner of the Locals Winnipeg, a shop at the Outlet Collection mall that stocks a wide swath of items from local entrepreneurs. This summer, Manzano and his associates have been hosting outdoor pop-up events called the Summer of Locals, where Toasty Alley has twice been a registered participant.

“We were excited when we saw them apply for our market. We had seen their work at other markets and were looking forward to trying it out,” Manzano says.

Manzano had no familiarity with croffles before Toasty Alley came along. He didn’t think they would taste any different than waffles but he realized that wasn’t the case, after just one bite.

“That’s when I realized they were much more. They definitely have that soft croissant texture and not only that, they dress it up so well,” he says, noting he paired the aforementioned baconnaise version with a Vietnamese-drip coffee, which they also make available at markets.

Although they both have full-time careers, Pham and Nguyen still managed to squeeze in 23 events over July and August. They’re presently booked for 13 more this month, including the Lantern Festival, which runs from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the city’s Chinatown district. There they hope to introduce another flavour, a collaboration with another new-to-the-scene venture.

“You’ve heard of chicken and waffles? We’re hoping to do chicken and croffles, by working with Popoy’s Golden Chicken,” Pham says, referencing a Filipino-run enterprise that launched in March.

Their ultimate dream, they say in unison, is to open a shop of their own down the line, where they can serve other Asian-inspired dishes, such as Korean street toast, a breakfast sandwich usually loaded with egg, veggies, ham and cheese.

“Right now, though, we’re taking it day-by-day,” Nguyen says.

“This winter we’ll be indoors at Pine Ridge Hollow on weekends and we think that’s going to be great for us. Inside is better, we find, because the smell of the croffles always seems to draw a crowd.”

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca