by CHRIS BARRY

Name: Aaron Baxter

Nicknames: A-bomb, Mixmastahboombaxtah, Funk Star

Age: 20

Bio: Young, hung and handsome, this unique Plateau resident arrived here all the way from Vancouver Island back in 2002 to study physics at McGill. An extraordinarily intelligent young man, blessed with a natural talent for both math and music, Aaron may well be the most devoted waffle enthusiast this city has ever seen. A vegan who shuns Eggos for their lack of nutritional value and comparatively high price ("although it's true, they're pretty tasty"), Aaron, a "DIY kind of guy", started making his very own vegan waffles shortly after arriving in Montreal. Today the proprietor and sole employee of his home-based House of Pain bakery, Aaron's superior waffles have become something of a sensation among healthy-living Plateau student types. And though House of Pain waffles are widely available through Concordia's Frigo Vert and The McGill Organic Food Co-op, contact Aaron via phatape@onecooldude.com and he'll deliver them to you personally - even bring them to you in bed if you're especially nice.

Do customers ever inquire if he'd mind delivering some hot sausage to their bed along with his waffles? "Nope, I only sell vegan food."

What he did on his 20th birthday: Got together with a bunch of his buds and proceeded to prepare and eat waffles for a grand total of eight hours. "It was actually the culmination of a three-day celebration. But honestly, I probably didn't eat any more than 16 of them that day."

Something Santa brought him this year: A spanking new waffle maker. "You know, sometimes I've had to make 200 waffles in one night with just two waffle irons that only produce two waffles each every five minutes. So this new six-piece waffle iron is going to be a great thing for House of Pain."

One reason why he decided to go pro: "Because I'd really like to get people eating vegan if I can. I use flax seed and soy milk, which makes my waffles light and fluffy. Most vegan food is made from dense materials, all the eggs and levitating agents are out for a person once they decide to go vegan, so I've really tried to come up with light, fluffy, tasty vegan food."

Does he get high? "Well, I smoke an awful lot of pot."

Might this have something to do with his enthusiasm for waffles? "Probably not. I'd pursue the waffle with the same fervour even if I wasn't a big weed guy. But they really do taste extra good when I'm smoking extra lots of pot."

Something he's hard at work on: Developing a new vegan "snack-type waffle." "It will have to be made extra crispy, and I'm thinking of coating it in chocolate with nuts sprinkled over it."

Childhood ambition: "To be happy."

Something else he does: Plays guitar with the Blue Monkey Project, a 10-piece band comprised primarily of middle-aged neuroscientists.

Musical preferences: Vintage RHCP, Sly and the Family Stone.

Last book read: The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown.

Words of wisdom: "No melon, no lemon."

Comments? dimwit@openface.ca