Icelandic bakery fresh on the scene
Icelandic couple’s pastries proving popular
Demand has erupted for the breads and pastries of Volcano Bakery since the shop opened Aug. 11.
“We keep waiting for the newness to fade and for it to die down, but it hasn’t,” said staff member Denise Adams, pausing briefly as she served a steady flow of customers mid-morning on Tuesday.
Located at the corner of Newfoundland Drive and Torbay Road in St. John’s, Volcano Bakery is owned and operated by Adalbjork Sigurthorsdottir and Haukur Leifs Hauksson, a husband and wife team originally from Iceland.
“All of what we offer is just like we have in Iceland. But I cannot say it’s an Icelandic product, it’s more like a Scandanavian product because it comes from Denmark. A lot of things come from Denmark in Iceland.” Adalbjork Sigurthorsdottir, co-owner
The full name of the shop is actually “Volcano Bakery Icelandic.” Pictures of lava-laden and lava-spewing volcanoes adorn the walls, along with a wooden clock, cut in the shape of Iceland. The bakery’s name is meant to reflect the owners’ Icelandic roots and comes from the notoriety of the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 and the halt on air traffic that followed.
The owners thought of “volcano” and “Iceland” now carry a recognizable connection.
When the couple moved to Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013, Sigurthorsdottir was actually working with an Icelandic company that became involved in a local metal recycling business. While that company has changed hands since, she continued in the local position until last week, when she decided to resign to help with the booming bakery full-time.
“I’m not the baker. He is,” she said, nodding to Hauksson while speaking with The Telegram. He worked away in the open kitchen during the interview, but endorsed her as their official spokeswoman.
“He learned in Iceland to be a baker … and after that he went to Denmark to learn to be a pastry chef,” she said. He worked in Norway for a year, picking up the ability to make even more Scandanavian treats.
Hauksson opened a bakery with his father in Iceland and went on to operate three bakeries over the course of 18 years, before the couple made the move to Canada. He has wanted to open a bakery since first arriving, she said.
“All of what we offer is just like we have in Iceland,” Sigurthorsdottir said of the shop. “But I cannot say it’s an Icelandic product, it’s more like a Scandanavian product because it comes from Denmark. A lot of things come from Denmark in Iceland.”
A common question is what pastries on offer are most popular in Iceland. There are a variety of cinnamon rolls that do well, she said, but also danish (no cream cheese or cherry filling here) and twisted donuts.
“That’s something everyone would do in Iceland, home, but you can buy it in bakery too. But that’s probably the oldest recipe we have here,” she said, offering a sample of the long, golden treat — crispy on the outside and with cake on the inside not left overly doughy or conversely dry.
The shop’s baked goods are made fresh every day.
All of the bread is sugar free, Sigurthorsdottir noted. And there are no preservatives, so if you buy a loaf today, don’t expect to be working on the same loaf four days later.
As for the response to date, it has surpassed the owner’s expectations.
The bakery was originally going to be run by Hauksson, with just a few staff supporting him. However, in addition to Sigurthorsdottir coming on fulltime, the couple has made additional hires.
“At the moment we have around 12 people, but it will be going up,” she said.
The bakery is looking to add seating for customers and is exploring the required permitting. For now, it is takeaway only, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.