Betty-Ann Heggie, First-Timer

Doing something new with the women’s advocate, philanthropist, arts patron and global adventurer who’s done it all.

STEP 1: MIX

Betty-Ann Heggie and I step through the darkened doors of Prince Edward County’s beloved PECish bakery in Milford. It’s Tuesday and all the lights are off inside because PECish is officially closed, but it’s a special day because co-owner, head baker and darling person MaTTi Matyasfalvi is teaching us how to do something that neither of us have ever done before: we’re making croissants.

Betty-Ann looks amazing in a floral mismatched silk two-piece (that matches perfectly), a Wanuskewin-made hat from Saskatoon, designer combat boots, cat-eye glasses and large dangly earrings that lesser personalities would shrink from. In honour of our date, I’m wearing the most vibrant jumpsuit I could muster from the depths of a staunchly black and neutral wardrobe. Neither outfit pairs well with our plans for today, but I’m with Betty-Ann and we’re going for it.

PECish aprons create a cozy layer between us and the large wooden island where we’ve been situated and instructed to poke an enormous ball of cool dough made with organic bread flour from Manitoba. We’re contrasting its elasticity with the rolled out slab of white Stirling Creamery butter next to it. MaTTi shares that the secret to a very good croissant rests on those two things: good quality ingredients that are properly attended to at every step. Simple. Simple?

STEP 2: REST

The dough has been prepared in advance, having enjoyed an indulgent 48-hour rest in the refrigerator prior to our arrival. I’d thought we’d be learning to make croissants from scratch, but apparently the process takes about five days, so through “the magic of TV” in MaTTi’s words, we will take a shortcut. He has no idea how long it took to get here, I think.

Betty-Ann is one of my favourite people in the world. Not just because she’s a kind, funny, fun and loving friend, but also because I’m in endless awe of her “let’s do it” approach to everything and the things she’s done with that mindset. I knew that I wanted to write about us having an adventure together, but I had no idea what it could be, because, well, she’s basically done it all.

I threw out options, starting big. “We could fly a plane together at Base 31,” I proposed.

“I’ve done that,” she laughs. “And it didn’t go well.” Suddenly I remembered the story that BA’s husband Wade had told me a few years back, but I make her tell it to me again. “I was twenty-three.” she says. “Wade was a flying instructor, so he was teaching me, and all I had left to do to get my licence was a written exam and a solo cross-country flight. So I flew down to Strasbourg, Saskatchewan and landed in the field beside where my father was harvesting. Then I flew to Regina and landed there, then back to Saskatoon. As I was coming in to land, I suddenly knew that I was going way too fast and that it would be a terrible landing. I did a cartwheel with one wing down, then the nose and then the wing, and then upside down along the runway and I thought to myself, ‘This is not the kind of death I want.’ So I pulled out a piece of glass and crawled out of the plane. And, you know, all I had was a small laceration on my elbow…”

Flying was clearly a no-go, so I moved on. A long list later, I learn that Betty-Ann had already made graffiti art in Argentina, watched spirit dancers eat glass in Java, climbed the recently erupted Mount Etna in Sicily, ridden electric bikes to the far side of the playa at Burning Man, attended the Sing-sing in Papua, New Guinea, happened upon a cowboy parade in Ecuador, tracked gorillas in Rwanda, got hit over the head with a rubber penis by a monk in Bhutan, watched the world circus finals in Moscow, and surely drove her dad’s combine in Saskatchewan. So I put her in the hotseat to dream up something she’d never done before, something that we could do together in the County.

“I’ve never made a croissant,” she said.

STEP 3: LAMINATE

We point the thermometer gun at the ball and then at the butter, which are almost the exact same temperature. MaTTi explains that they need to be within a few degrees of each other for the magic to work in the lamination stage, where we would fold and roll the butter into the dough over and over again, ultimately creating thin layers of alternating ingredients to give the croissants their iconic structure and texture. Resting that dough for a minimum of twenty minutes between turns and folds allows the gluten to relax and creates more volume in the pastry – apparently the longer the rest, the better the croissant will be.

BA and I met at an epic dinner almost five years ago, and honestly, I don’t think I’ve seen her rest once in all the years since. I instantly loved Betty-Ann and Wade; it was clear we had a lot of fun ahead of us. Hailing from the big city of Saskatoon, the Heggie family established homes farther afield. “How did you find your way here?” I ask. “Very incrementally,” she confesses. “We moved from Saskatoon to Toronto, but kept our cabin there thinking we would go back and use it, though we never did … ultimately we chose Big Island, because we liked the access to water, and somehow it reminded us of Saskatchewan.”

As one of the few women to hold an executive position in a Fortune 500 company, Betty-Ann absolutely shattered glass ceilings from the very outset.

STEP 4: COOL

At some point it begins to dawn on us how complicated croissant-making is. We clumsily attempt to emulate our teacher’s elegant hand movements and exacting process, recognizing the difference that his mastery will make on the final product. Betty-Ann and I both work with enough talent to know the real thing when we see it and MaTTi is a true artist in the medium of pastry.

We persevere, but I need to engage my mind alongside my hands. “Tell me about your history, your career,” I ask.

“Well, I was the first woman in many jobs and on many boards,” she says, economically. “I became a champion of women – I wrote a book on it, I speak on it and I focus philanthropy on it.” Her brevity seems inadequate to her utter extraordinariness, so I’ll elaborate.

As one of the few women to hold an executive position in a Fortune 500 company, Betty-Ann absolutely shattered glass ceilings from the very outset. Her 26-year career at PotashCorp, where she served as Senior Vice President, wasn’t just a personal success but a stepping stone for countless women who followed in her footsteps. Retiring in 2007, she founded the Womentorship program at the University of Saskatchewan, was inducted into Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame, and has been recognized with numerous other accolades. She has multiple publications and is considered a thought leader on gender dynamics; she is an award-winning speaker, author and mentor, corporate director, philanthropist and patron to many artists. Betty-Ann is larger-than-life, a beacon of empowerment and a trailblazer whose journey through the corporate world and subsequent dedication to women’s advocacy, philanthropy and the arts has carved out a legacy of inspiration and progress.

“What’s important in life?” I ask her.

“Friends, family and growth,” she says quickly, adding, “new experiences too. And balance of the inner and the outer.”

STEP 5: BAKE

It’s a fact that croissants require a lot of resting and a lot of patience – qualities that neither BA nor I have in spades. When MaTTi tells us this last step will take only 16 minutes, we peek eagerly into the oven as the butter’s fat fries the interior layers of dough into crisp pastry, while the outside slowly caramelizes into glossy stripes.

In my carb-starved state, I begin to imagine that these manifold layers are a parallel to Betty-Ann, but really, the comparisons are lame, and if anything, the overly complicated, well-relaxed croissant is nothing like her. But wait! “Croissant” comes from the word “crescent,” referencing its similarity to the crescent moon – the symbol associated in many spiritual traditions with powerful feminine energy. A bond is forged.

Soon we pull the large tray out of the oven and gasp at the utter perfection of our golden creations. When I pull the first one apart, I can see that it’s crisp and flaky on the outside and soft and delicate on the inside. Perfect.

STEP 6: EAT

It’s true that Betty-Ann and I both generally eschew carbs, but I watch in shock as she unhesitatingly sinks her teeth into the warm croissant with total intention and deliciousness. She’s no joke, this friend of mine; she goes into everything with a clear mind and principles intact, but she doesn’t ever rob herself of an experience.

“Tell me some of the best adventures you’ve had in the County,” I ask, wondering if croissants could be the bridge between simple carbohydrates and nirvana. “I love the marquee at Merrill House,” she says. “I’ve hosted great events there with incredible food – most recently with Astrid Young performing. Big Lake Arts with their varied venues and fabulous music – particularly the performance at Shed Chetwyn, where we listened to the music alongside the fascinated llamas. Commissioning local artist Danielle Reddick to create chicken wire sculptures of the three ladies – the maiden, the mother, and the crone. Singing karaoke at your place, Lonelle. Listening to Tom Wilson at Regent Theatre’s Truth and Reconciliation concert. Watching the trumpeter swan babies grow up each year in the water in front of our place, jumping off our pontoon boat into the lake…”

I pick up my croissant and take a giant bite. To Betty-Ann.