Pam Hooker

Pam Hooker is the co-founder of one of Canada’s most recognizable pastries, the BeaverTail. Pam and her husband Grant opened the flagship Byward Market BeaverTail location in 1980, and they can now be found in franchises and mobile food trucks across North America. Pam credits her German/Ukrainian grandmother with the original BeaverTail recipe which she enjoyed growing up. She started selling them at community arts and craft fairs, expanding to a booth in the Byward Market before deciding to franchise with BeaverTails Canada Inc. They sold the controlling interest in their franchising company in 2002 to three longtime employees, retaining a significant minority stake with less of a role within the company.