Inspired by Ontario's Highlands: Laurent Coulibaly

From the rushing waters of the Ottawa River to the endless forests of Haliburton Highlands, Ontario’s Highlands’ remote, rugged terrain entices the intrepid with calls to adventure and the introspective with the serenity of its pristine natural surroundings. With so much to offer, the region has inspired visitors to come back again and again, and sometimes even settle here.

As it happens, the former geologist turned ice cream maker, Laurent Coulibaly, is one visitor who answered Ontario’s Highlands’ call. A conversation with Laurent is a study in juxtapositions – you never know what you will learn next about this cheerful entrepreneur who has made the small community of Calabogie his home.

The first question that comes up is how did a geologist from Africa end up making ice cream in the Ottawa Valley? The answer makes sense, and has a connection between two cold (and fun) things – ice cream and skiing.

Laurent’s story begins in Africa, where he was born and raised, before relocating with his family to the Ottawa area in 2007. From there, Laurent began exploring the area, falling in love with the drive along thickly forested, winding roads leading him from the hustle and bustle of Ottawa to the small rural communities of the Ottawa Valley. 

“Year round the drive here is beautiful, but in wintertime it is all white and with all the pine trees and the landscape it is even more beautiful,” said Laurent.

Shortly after moving to Ottawa, Laurent and his family discovered the ultimate Canadian wintertime experience – skiing – and spent hours and days honing their skills at Calabogie Peaks Resort. The following year Laurent and his family were back for a Christmas break where they skied and stayed at Calabogie Peaks, and by summer of 2010 their house in Ottawa was on the market.

Laurent's introduction to skiing at Calabogie captured his heart and inspired him to relocate to Ontario's Highlands to live in the same environment he found so beautiful and captivating all year long. He was sold on skiing and on Calabogie.

“We decided to buy in Calabogie, there was a place right on the waterfront, not far from the core of the village, Main Street, so we had everything here, and we didn’t need to drive back and forth to Ottawa,” explained Laurent. 

Laurent's drive to Calabogie from Ottawa took him through Burnstown, which is how he noticed when the former ice cream shop came up for sale. The location boasted a large parking lot, an upstairs apartment and included all the previous owners’ ice cream making equipment.

“Most of the machines were pretty new, and we kept them, and the year after we bought it I decided to go back to university for ice cream,” Laurent said.

As it turns out, Ontario’s Guelph university is one of only three ice cream universities in the world (who knew?), with the other two located in the U.S. and Italy, respectively. It was in Guelph that Laurent learned the ins and outs of ice cream making, training alongside people from all over the world.

Today, if you travel through Burnstown during the warm summer months, you will probably take note of a line-up of cars parked outside what has become one of the most sought-after ice cream shops in the region: Café Laurent. Here, Laurent Coulibaly makes his delicious ice creams from scratch, and is dedicated to revolutionizing the ice cream industry, one cone at a time.

For anyone who has ever wondered what an ‘African ice cream’ would taste like, Laurent’s ice cream is one way to find out. At the Café, Laurent creates ice cream that features a blend of flavours and ingredients unique to his shop. Laurent explained that when he first started making ice cream he had to choose between making a lot of money or making healthy ice cream – he chose the latter.

“My choice was made, it was very simple, I would go for health because I want to be healthy myself while eating my ice cream,” Laurent said, pointing out that “the ice cream on the shelf at the grocery store can stay on the shelf for a couple of years.”

Laurent explained that he wanted to expand on his training from Guelph and create ice cream that uses no preservatives.  In the process, he turned ice cream making into an art form, and one that he’s happy to share with his customers.

From his home base in Calabogie, Laurent continues to embrace life in the Ottawa Valley and in his off season from ice cream he is eager to get back on the hill at Calabogie Peaks for the skiing which drew him to the region in the first place. Now, at the end of a day on the slopes, Laurent is only minutes from his home where he can refuel and rest to go back and do it all again the next day.

“We’re still in the same house in Calabogie, about 10 minutes to Burnstown,” Laurent said. “I’m close to the ski hill so I can go skiing whenever I want.”