THE YEAST YOU CAN DO
Local bakeries are still preparing plenty of delicious treats for reluctant home bakers
Without question, one of the first big food trends to emerge in the wake of COVID-19 was home baking. Suddenly, people who never had the time or patience to bake were whipping up loaves of bread, trays of muffins, and elaborately decorated cakes. Canadians bought up so many baking supplies that flour manufacturer Robin Hood ran out of its familiar yellow bags.
As we collectively sought comfort in the joys of sugar and carbs, many amateur bakers have learned that going beyond simple cookie or banana bread recipes can be tricky business. There’s a reason premium baked goods cost what they do: artisanal bread, with its carefully nurtured sourdough starter and multiple rises, takes a real chunk of time and few of us have the skills to make a croissant with any degree of flakiness. This is why many Calgarians are thankful some of the city’s top bakeries are still open for business.
Bakeries are not currently open for sit-down service, but customers can order their goods to go. Shosh Cohen, owner of La Boulangerie in Mission, says business was slow in the early weeks of the pandemic, but as the weather has warmed, traffic has increased.
“People want both comfort food and something sweet to help them through the situation,”
Cohen says.
“People told me that they tried to make our kouign-amann at home but they weren’t very successful.”
Benjamin Griffon, who owns the Black Sheep Patisserie, which also specializes in difficult-to-make French pastries, has also seen fairly brisk business. Black Sheep has won a solid Instagram following thanks to its impossibly beautiful, brightly striped croissants, filled with the shop’s homemade jams. Even though Black Sheep’s croissants go for a relatively spendy $4
People want both comfort food and something sweet to help them through the situation.
apiece, Griffon says they’ve been selling well, largely because they’re something customers know they’d never be able to replicate at home.
“I sometimes compare it to being a mechanic. I don’t try to fix the engine of my car,” he says. “Making croissants is a long process. A lot of people are thanking us for being open so that they can come in for that piece of comfort.”
Aspirational baked goods are having a moment as many of us are getting through dark days by splurging on treats we wouldn’t attempt to make ourselves.
These are just a few of the noteworthy local bakeries that are keeping sweet tooths and carb-lovers fed:
Black Sheep Patisserie: A fairly new Beltline business, Griffon’s shop has a relatively small bake case filled with his signature striped croissants, as well as butter-fortified kouign-amann and a few other treats. Not one to discourage home bakers, Griffon is also selling provisions like house-made jams, black cocoa powder, Valrhona chocolate and yeast. (140, 815 17 Ave. S.W.; black-sheep.ca)
La Boulangerie: This Mission shop has a wide range of French desserts, as well as savoury lunch items. Cohen lists the kouignamann, French bread, and anything involving custard as her biggest pandemic sellers, but the bakery is also churning out opulent eclairs, tarts, macarons and other delicacies for delivery or pickup. (2435 Fourth St. S.W.; la-boulangerie-calgary.com)
Kan You Cake: Kan You Cake is still working on opening its bricks-and-mortar store in Victoria Park, which means it didn’t have anything to close when the pandemic hit. Once the store is open, customers will be able to pick up owner Ka Yan Ngan’s picturesque roll cakes and canneles, which combine French technique with distinctively Asian flavours. For now, Ngan is taking online orders for delivery. (kanyoucake.com)
Mari Bakeshop: Mari has reduced its hours to weekends only when customers can pop in for a loaf of next-level artisan bread or co-owner Lauren Ahn’s otherworldly roll cakes and choux pastry bites. The bakery has also been doing creative takeout collaborations with the nearby Eight restaurant; keep your eye on both businesses’ social media feeds for any future specials.
(529 Riverfront Ave. S.E.; maribakeshop.ca)
Ollia Macarons and Tea: Typically, a good chunk of Ollia’s business is made up of its fun macaron-making classes, which are obviously on hold for the time being, but the small bakeshop is still open for curbside pickup and delivery. The shop sells boxes of macarons in flavours like Earl Grey, lemon poppyseed, and lavender honey, as well as premium loose leaf tea. Note that macarons freeze surprisingly well, so if you order a box you don’t have to eat them all at once. (810C 16th Ave. S.W.; byollia.com)
This is just a taste of the treats out there. Within every community in Calgary, you’ll find bakeries selling things like Nanaimo bars, butter tarts, cheese buns and cinnamon rolls, as well as staples like bread and hamburger buns.
If you’ve never stepped inside your neighbourhood bake shop, use these unusual times as an excuse. They’re generally less crowded than a grocery store and you’ll get the satisfaction of supporting a local business.