If you’ve walked along East 5th Avenue between Quebec and Ontario lately, you’ve probably noticed a sandwich board advertising Blaze Cafe’s Bali Iced Latte. The drink itself looks delicious, to be sure, but the most eye-catching part is the text that goes along with it: “Better than your ex, sweeter than your lover.”
It’s funny; it’s cheeky; it’s the in-real-life equivalent of thumb-stopping content.
“We always see people walking by who stop and laugh,” says Blaze owner Addy Skeak, “and then walking away or, often, coming inside for a drink.”
Skeak is the founder and owner not only of Blaze Cafe, but also its big sister Blaze Gourmet Burgers, which also operates out of its East 5th location and serves up an array of delicious between-the-bun delights. Since starting as a ghost kitchen back in 2019, the company has branched out into a multi-city operation spanning dine-in, takeout, and corporate catering. Below, Skeak reflects on the company’s growth, his love for Pavilion, and why he wanted to launch a burger joint in the first place.
Take us back to the beginning: where did the idea for Blaze Gourmet Burgers come from?
My kids always wanted to go for burgers, but we have a lot of picky eaters and allergies. So I wanted to create a burger spot for everyone, with all of their allergies included. That’s why we are very well known now for being a place where you are able to come and get a gluten-free burger or a vegan burger, or adjust it to the way that you like it. Anytime we launch a new burger or item, we want to make sure that we include an option for vegans or people who are celiac or any of the other allergies that we always deal with. That was the main thing that drove us to be more specific with customizing your own burger: whatever allergies you have, we have a burger for you.
Then we started importing premium Sumatra Indonesian coffee and are hoping to make a difference in the coffee scene. So now it’s burgers and coffee.
How did you get your start?
In 2019 we rented a space to do a ghost kitchen, focusing on catering and online orders.
Business was slow at the beginning, and then Covid hit, and then things were affected positively with people ordering online and doing takeout. After about nine months we had to look for a new space, and were able to find our current Mount Pleasant location. It was still Covid, so we couldn’t use the front area for dine-in, but people started finding out about us, and we’d have them come to the back door for pickup. Slowly we opened the dine-in area, and have since expanded into a few more locations in Vancouver, plus one in Abbotsford and one in Port Moody.
What is your ingredient philosophy?
We try to work with local ingredients. Our beef has been Certified Angus since day one; we get our beef delivered almost every second day to keep it fresh. We work with as many local suppliers as we can.
We’ve never lowered our product quality. With the current market, we’re seeing a lot of loss of profits with everything becoming so expensive. But we’re still trying to keep pricing the same, and always try to negotiate with our suppliers for a better deal without jeopardizing the quality.
You mention how expensive ingredients are becoming. It’s definitely not easy to be a restaurant right now. What are the biggest challenges facing Blaze?
Our biggest challenge might be the staffing. A lot of times we have staff who are here on a work visa and have been with us for a few years, and then are not able to stay here because their visas do not get renewed.
The other thing is suppliers. Prices are going up and profit margins are going down. So many restaurants are affected by this. We’re always trying to work with suppliers to find the best deals.
What brought you to Pavilion and why was it right for you?
We love the space. We’ve been there for at least three years. It’s so convenient for us to be across the street from our East 5th location. When I first started the restaurant, my office was just one of the tables in the dining area, and then it started getting busy and I would get kicked out and never finish any work. I was like, “Oh my God, I need an office space. I need somewhere to sit down.” We looked across the street at Pavilion and it was probably one of the best decisions we’ve made. We took an office and also became partners with them. We do all the member happy hours, we do all the Christmas parties. We do a lot of events for other clients or members, whether it’s at Pavilion or outside. And we’ve created this 10 per cent discount for all the members and are happy to have them come in and redeem it at any time. [Editor’s note: if that’s not your sign to visit Blaze asap and order a Bali Iced Latte and a burger, we don’t know what is.]
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
