Company's Coming 150 Delicious Squares
Author Jean Pare
This story comes full circle (I mean square) with some delicious brownies at a dinner I attended on my birthday!
Company’s Coming, if you need a reminder, is a genuine Alberta success story. With its head office located in Edmonton, Company’s Coming has sold over 30 million cookbooks since founder Jean Pare published her first book, 150 Delicious Squares, in 1981.
I had the pleasure of having dinner with my cousins in Kingston on June 19th. It was delightful. A lovely meal and great conversation. And then came dessert! This was the icing on the squares. They were the best brownies I had ever tasted. (besides my Mother’s!). We asked the hostess for her recipe which we thought was her very own. She had been famous for baking these brownies for decades. Since the 80s.
It turns out, the recipe came from a Canadian book (a legend) by Jean Pare. I quickly snapped a photo of the book cover and the recipe page. The next day we were at a yard sale and found the book! Yes. We brought it home!
Jean Pare (pronounced “jeen PAIR-ee”) (December 7, 1927 – December 24, 2022) grew up understanding that the combination of family, friends and home cooking is the best recipe for a good life. From her mother, she learned to appreciate good cooking, while her father praised even her earliest attempts in the kitchen. When Jean left home, she took with her a love of cooking, many family recipes and an intriguing desire to read cookbooks as if they were novels!
When her four children had all reached school age, Jean volunteered to cater the 50th anniversary celebration of the Vermilion School of Agriculture, in Alberta, Canada. Working out of her home, Jean prepared a dinner for more than 1,000 people, launching a flourishing catering operation that continued for over 18 years.
During that time, she had countless opportunities to test new ideas with immediate feedback—resulting in empty plates and contented customers! Whether preparing cocktail sandwiches for a house party or serving a hot meal for 1,500 people, Jean Pare earned a reputation for great food, courteous service and reasonable prices.
As requests for her recipes increased, Jean was often asked the question, “Why don’t you write a cookbook?” Jean responded by teaming up with her son, Grant Lovig, in the fall of 1980 to form Company’s Coming Publishing Limited. The publication of 150 Delicious Squares on April 14, 1981 marked the debut of what would soon become one of the world’s most popular cookbook series.
Jean Pare’s approach to cooking has always called for quick and easy recipes using everyday ingredients. That view has served her well. The recipient of many awards, including the Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal, Jean was appointed Member of the Order of Canada, her country’s highest lifetime achievement honour.
Jean shared what she called The Golden Rule of Cooking: Never share a recipe you wouldn’t use yourself. It’s an approach that has worked-millions of times over!
Here are the dessert-focused titles from Jean Paré’s Company’s Coming series, covering everything from everyday sweets to special‑occasion treats:
Original Series (Dessert-Themed)
Desserts (Apr 1986)
Delicious Desserts (Mar 2012)
Special Occasion Series (Desserts)
Decadent Desserts (Oct 2003)
Focus & Themed Dessert Titles
Sweet Cravings (Nov 2002)
Chocolate Everything (Oct 2000)
Charming Cupcakes (Nov 2012)
Coffee Cake Classics (Oct 2009)
Warm Desserts (Oct 2008)
Christmas Cookies (Nov 2012)
Other Dessert-Related Titles
150 Delicious Squares (Apr 1981)
Cakes (Sep 1990)
Cookies (Apr 1988, rev Mar 2023)
Pies (Sep 1992)
No‑Bake Desserts (Feb 1998)
Tempting Treats and Cookies (Nov 2010)
Most Loved Cookies (Nov 2005)
Most Loved Summertime Desserts (Apr 2008)
Most Loved Treats (Nov 2004)
This collection spans classic desserts, specialty sweets, holiday treats, and everyday indulgences. Want recipes or highlights from any of these—for example, the Delicious Desserts or Decadent Desserts books?
Jean Paré (often styled “Paré” with accent), the celebrated Canadian cookbook author and founder of Company’s Coming, published more than 200 single‑subject cookbooks between 1981 and her retirement in 2011, selling over 30 million copies
Signature series: Company’s Coming
A collection of over 200 spiral-bound titles, each focused on a single category—cookies, soups, grilling, slow cooker meals, desserts, appetizers, breads, diabetic-friendly dishes, and much more.
Examples include:
150 Delicious Squares (her first self-published cookbook at age 54)
Muffins & More
Appetizers (popular fifth title in the series)
Slow Cooker Recipes
Company’s Coming for Christmas
Preserves
Cookies
Pies
Asian Cooking
Main Courses
Diabetic Cooking
Avocado Accents, Going Bananas, Meat Marinades (second-edition “Focus” titles, 2016)
…and literally hundreds more covering themed meals, diet-based cooking, holiday hosting, kids’ lunches, BBQ, air frying, gluten-free, superfoods, and regional Canadian cuisine .
Total books written: Over 200
Copies sold: Over 30 million
Time span: 1981–2011 (active publishing)
Formats: Primarily compact spiral‑bound cookbooks, each dedicated to a single theme
Jean Pare - Company's Coming Cookbooks (Chronological List) 1981 - 150 Delicious Squares 1982 - Casseroles 1983 - Muffins & More 1984 - Salads 1985 - Appetizers 1986 - Desserts 1987 - Soups & Sandwiches 1988 - Cookies 1989 - Main Courses 1989 - Vegetables 1990 - Cakes 1990 - Pasta 1991 - Barbecues 1991 - Dinners of the World 1992 - Pies 1992 - Lunches 1993 - Preserves 1994 - Company's Coming for Christmas 1997 - Cooking for Two 1997 - Meatless Cooking 1998 - Slow Cooker Recipes 1998 - Low-Fat Cooking 1998 - Breakfasts & Brunches 1999 - Biscuits, Muffins & Loaves 1999 - Low-Fat Pasta 1999 - One-Dish Meals 1999 - Pizza! 2000 - The Potato Book 2000 - Stir-Fry 2001 - Stews, Chilies & Chowders 2001 - The Egg Book 2001 - Rush-Hour Recipes 2002 - Asian Cooking 2002 - Sweet Cravings 2002 - The Beef Book 2003 - Adding Vegetables to Everyday Meals 2003 - Chinese Cooking 2003 - The Pork Book 2003 - Decadent Desserts 2004 - Baking Simple to Sensational 2004 - The Cheese Book 2004 - Everyday Italian 2005 - 30-Minute Weekday Meals 2005 - Slow-Cooker Dinners 2006 - Mostly Muffins 2007 - Diabetic Cooking 2007 - Simple Suppers 2008 - Most Loved Summertime Desserts 2008 - Low-Fat Express 2008 - Catch of the Day 2009 - Coffee Cake Classics 2009 - 30-Minute Rookie Cook 2009 - Kids Do Baking 2010 - Everyday Barbecuing 2010 - Soup Favourites 2011 - Appetizers & Snacks 2011 - Plant-Based Cooking for Everyone 2011 - New Make-Ahead Meals 2012 - Delicious Desserts 2012 - Charming Cupcakes 2012 - Christmas Cookies 2012 - Kids' Lunches 2013 - Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen