Alice Marie is a quaint little bakery cafe that offers hot coffee, freshly baked cookies and huge slices of cake.

Helmed by husband and wife duo Aaron Hubley and Rachelle Cornish, Alice Marie has been operating since the summer 2024. Though the bakery cafe is the couple's first solo venture, it's far from their first foray into the food service industry.

Both Aaron and Rachelle have a strong background in cooking; Aaron is an experienced barista and front of house manager, while Rachelle is a former employee of the White Lily Diner with more than a decade of professional baking experience.

Rachelle cites her grandmother as a major inspiration on her culinary journey. As a result, the business is named in her honour.

Fittingly enough, Alice Marie's aesthetic is almost reminiscent of a grandmother's kitchen. The space is warm and inviting, with wooden furniture and windows that face out onto the street. The shelves lining the walls are filled with pottery and ceramics, all made by Toronto-based artist Chloe Begg.

Aaron and Rachelle tell us that they have made an effort to support local businesses by displaying their work inside.

This mindset extends to the ingredients they use in their cooking. Alice Marie sources its produce from White Lily Farms and its chocolate from Soul Chocolate. Many other local suppliers also contribute to their delicious food.

Aaron and Rachelle explain that the menu will rotate throughout the year, with certain drinks and snacks changing to reflect the seasons.One such drink is the chai latte ($6.25), which combines milk and spiced tea to create a comforting fall beverage.The cortado ($4.45) is a strong Spanish coffee made from milk and espresso in equal parts. Though its bitter aftertaste may be a turnoff to some, this drink more than makes up for it with its adorable latte art.Concord grape ($4.50) is this month's seasonal soda flavour. Aaron tells us that this bright purple drink began as a happy accident: after finding themselves with too much grape syrup, the staff decided to make use of it by putting it in a soda. The apple spice cake ($11) is a spiced sponge cake, held together with layers of apple jam and brown butter buttercream and topped with salted caramel nut crumble.

The straightforwardly named honey oat cookie ($3.50) consists of honey, oats and coconut in a soft, crumbly dough.The chocolate chunk cookie ($3.50) is topped with a light dusting of sea salt, which brings out the sweetness in the 70% dark chocolate.Coconut macaroons ($3.50) are bite-sized pastries dipped in 60 per cent Sierra Leone chocolate.The cheddar chive scone ($5) is one of the few savoury pastries on Alice Marie's menu. This large, blocky biscuit is made from 17 month aged cheddar and topped with fresh chives.The pumpkin tart ($7.50) is a sweet seasonal treat, garnished with whipped white chocolate ganache and crumbly pumpkin seed streusel. Though the texture is somewhat different, the taste is quite similar to a homemade pumpkin pie. Alice Marie is located at 807 Gerrard Street East.