Mad Batter Bakers

Nestled in Toronto's Liberty Village is Mad Batter Bakers, a family bakery specializing in custom cookies. In operation since the late 80s, the shop has carved itself out a sterling reputation as one of the city's best decorated cookie bakers.

"It all started as I was helping out my daughter's school with their fundraisers," Leona Knaup, Mad Batter Bakers' founder, recalls. "It was a small school, so they needed all the help they could get from parents when it came to raising funds for activities. I helped them out by baking Christmas gingerbread houses, which I did for some years. One day, the members of the parent-teachers' association were too busy to help out, so I decided to carry out a fundraiser alone, which made me realize I could do that professionally. I started to work for small schools, church bazaars and my daughter's figure skating club, met some interesting people in the process and eventually landed some corporate gigs."

Facing great popularity and steady growth in demand, Leona decided to open her own shop. "Quickly it became too big to handle from my own home, so I found a commercial space in Liberty Village; I wanted to play by the rules. We've been here ever since," she adds.

Starting with just Leona, the company has grown steadily over the years, and now counts seven regular employees, and up to nine during the busy fall season.