Ontario bakery that blew up last year is finally opening a permanent location
An Ontario bakery that went viral last year is finally gearing up to open a permanent location after a roller coaster year.
Ajax’s Biscuits to Baskets was little more than a neighbourhood hidden gem run out of founder Suzanne Smith’s garden shed before food influencer Keith Lee came rolling into town in April of 2024.
At the time, the MMA fighter-turned-food critic, known for his honest TikTok reviews of small businesses, was in Toronto on a tour across major North American cities, taking his followers’ suggestions on where to go.
Someone suggested Biscuits to Baskets, Lee went, and he absolutely loved it. After that, the so-called “Keith Lee effect” took hold, and the bakery was swarmed with customers eager to try Smith’s selection of cakes, chocolates and other confections.
It was a response beyond the Smith family’s wildest dreams, but every rose has its thorns, and the heightened attention on the bakery came with its fair share of challenges.
With more eyes on the business, the City of Ajax cracked down on the zoning of Smith’s business, forcing her to move out of the fully equipped backyard shed and begin operating out of her home.
Later, the home-based business, too, became the subject of municipal scrutiny, forcing Smith and her family (with whom she runs the business) into lengthy, unplanned closures, much of which were spent in the dark as to what the future of the business would hold.
Despite all of the obstacles, there’s a new chapter dawning for Biscuits to Baskets as the Smith family, at long last, prepares to open a permanent location.
“We feel a sense of a weight off our shoulders, but the hard work has barely begun,” Suzanne’s son Andrew told Dished Toronto.
“It’s been a roller coaster from the moment Keith Lee visited us. He was a blessing indeed.”
Andrew explains that, through the ups and downs of the past year, he and his family have “learned so much,” and are thrilled to be able to bring their lived knowledge to the new bakery.
It’ll still be the same Biscuits to Baskets people have come to know and love, though.
“[People] can expect the same family, the same smiles, the same quality and the same community vibe we tried to create from our home,” Andrew told Dished Toronto. “In a way, this is our new home, and you are all still welcome.”
The renovations are about to begin on the bakery’s new home in Ajax’s Pickering Village, so there’ll be a wait before the bakery is back in business, but when that day comes, it’ll be well worth it indeed.
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Andrew told Dished Toronto that, through the relentless challenges that threatened to shutter the business entirely, the community rallied around the business, keeping it going through even the darkest days.
“From those who donated, reached out, those who took no pay at all while our earnings took a massive hit; our families, friends,” Andrew said. “There are too many names to list… but there were so many big and small moments that really got us through this.”
Suzanne told Dished Toronto that she currently hopes to open the bakery by Nov. 1.
Biscuits to Baskets
Address:Ā 109 Old Kingston Rd., Ajax
Opening:Ā November 2025
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