One of our lovely customers, Diane Bruni, connected us with her parents, Gina and Pasquale who have been gardening this plot of land for 60! years. We have the incredible fortune of planting a rather giant garden this summer in the most beautiful soil and dreamy space. We’ve somehow managed to get almost everything in the ground – here are a few pics.
Last week our local Montessori elementary class came to the bakery for a sourdough bread workshop. Every year the elementary students work on a “Cosmic Plan” that helps them understand a topic and it’s myriad connections to the world. This year their topic is Bread. The kids were so curious and interested in what we do. We talked about agriculture, culture, sciences, math, history, and had tactile experiences making, shaping and eating the bread. They were excellent students and made the most beautiful loaves of bread to take home. Thanks everyone for coming to visit and to learn about how Real Bread is made. Hope to see you soon!
Food in Cuba is a conundrum. Coming from Canada, a culture/country that increasingly fetishizes food and chefs, Cuba can feel like a food desert which is weird because they can grow food all year, they are surrounded by ocean and there is a lot of grazing land for animals. You often find yourself asking “where is all the food???”. Making meals there is an exercise in creativity, resourcefulness and good fortune. Finding anything in the stores other than canned vegetables, tubes of pressed meat, sodas and booze is a miracle. Mostly you end up buying things on the black market with the help of very resourceful friends. While there are small urban farms attached to markets and new little veggie stands every few blocks they are selling a very limited array of underripe fruit and veg. You can’t even find what we would call bread there. Bread is government grade, mass produced with very low quality flour into something that resembles a fat baguette that is rock hard on the outside, almost mushy on the inside and so crumbly that the crust is dust by the time you get it to your mouth. It makes us sad for Cubans who have come to think of this as bread. But we get it-60 years of revolution is complicated and at least everyone has something to eat which is a lot more than can be said for most other wealthy countries of the world. It just feels like something has been lost there in the food and delicious departments and we met THE guy who wants to change that.
On our last trip to Havana we met a really great chef and new friend. Alberto Gonzales. It makes your entire trip when you meet someone who has a similar spanglish food vernacular as you do and does their darnedest to push beyond what is considered popular “cuban cuisine” with very limited resources. Alberto has spent years on and off cooking in various parts of Italy, including a stage at El Bulli in Spain and has come back to Havana to open an artisinal bakery. Which reeeeally isn’t allowed because the government controls bread production on the island. Which is why its called “sausage pizza”…It’s complicated. Despite having very different styles and methods, Alberto and Grant spent a day and a few nights in the kitchen making and chatting about bread and life. We cooked and ate several meals together and we look forward to visiting on future trips. Thank you Alberto for your incredible resilience and hospitality. We can’t wait to visit you and your inspiring bakery again.
If you find yourself in Havana, be sure to drop by Salchipizza bakery for some bread you won’t be finding anywhere else on the island. You can also pre-arrange dinners with chef Alberto. Do it. You will not be disappointed.
Salchipizza – 562 Calle Infanta btwn Valle and Zapata.
Here is a link to a more in depth interview by Yoani Sanchez:
http://translatingcuba.com/you-have-to-eat-a-bread-that-has-dignity-14ymedio-yoani-sanchez/
We’ve closed the shop, brought home the starter, done some visiting, put Xavi to bed, wrapped the gifts, had a (few) drink(s), reflected some and are feeling pretty blessed this Xmas eve. We are missing family in B.C. and Winnipeg but feeling so warmed and fuzzed by our new friends and family at the bakery.
We are blown away at the neighbourhood & business community support we have received the last few months at our new location. We feel so blessed to be part of such a supportive and good food loving community. We are also feeling some serious staff love towards the people who do all the things everyday to make our place the best that it can be. Bread baking, bread mixing, coffee making, sandwich/snack making and shelf stocking. We couldn’t be happier with our team and really want to share more with you in the new year about who these amazingly talented and interesting people are. Stay tuned.
Tonight we want to wish everyone a very merry Christmas. We hope you are with family and or friends and enjoying the best this season has to offer. Love, hope and Peace. We’ll see you back on the 28th of December.
All the best from our family to yours -Prairie Boy fam xo
Happy December Everyone. On one hand it is usually a crazy busy month for most of us, but it is also that special time of year where we get to spend some quality time with our friends, family and a bunch of delicious food.
We would like to take some of the delicious food pressure off you for those cherished December gatherings. We have a wonderful assortment of breads, croustini, cheeses, house made spreads (hummus, pestos, butters, Scout Canning shashouka, cured steelhead trout, creton, baked brie with herbs,etc), olive oil, balsamic reduction, cookies and more. We would be happy to throw together everything you need for your holiday get togethers no matter how big or small your event. Please let us know how we can help.
We have a new co-conspirator, Charlotte Langley aka Scout Canning in the house. She will be sharing our work space and her yummy cans of goodness will be available in the fridge starting tomorrow.
Here is her menu available to Prairie Boy Customers as of tomorrow.
Lastly, we will be having a holiday neighbourhood shopping & sharing night with some really talented local makers of cool stuff for that discerning person on your gift list or maybe a well deserved treat for yourself.
Pop in for a visit: DECEMBER 22 7-10pm
Stay cool and keep warm,
Prairie Boy
We’ve been working away at the new shop for just over a month now. Here are some pics and a few nice things people have been saying.
https://www.instagram.com/prairieboybread/
http://www.blogto.com/bakery/prairie-boy-bread-toronto
http://torontolife.com/food/shops/bakeries-prairie-boy-bread-dufferin-grove/
We love fall yet … we’re not quite ready for him. We’re not reeeeally ready to open a giant new bakery either but here we are. It feels like yesterday we were drinking rosé on a patio pondering “what if we get that space???” but i’m pretty sure we wore scarves all last week and damn sure we moved the heavy bread oven on the weekend.
Fall has blown in a whole lot of change this last week. Cozy clothes, harvest veggies, new bakery staff who are hard working, like minded people ready, willing and eager to feed people great food. We are super excited for you to meet our new team. We really think they’re going to fit in wonderfully like that favourite fall sweater you were so happy bust out. (They will get their own post soon).
We can’t wait for you all to see the new place. A lot of people have been working incredibly hard to bring it all together in time to be able to open before Thanksgiving. Not everything is 100% in place but the bread will be fresh, the snacks yummy, and the coffee delicious. We will continue to add to our list of offerings so every time you come visit you will find something interesting that you didn’t see last time. We hope you can pop in soon to say hi and to see all the changes we’re going through. If we don’t see you before, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We hope you are lucky enough to spend it with friends, family and great food.
Our hours this week:
Thursday October 8 7am – 6pm
Friday October 9 7am – 6pm
Saturday October 10 7am – 6pm
CLOSED Sunday and Monday
Reopening Tuesday October 13 7am – 6pm / 7 days a week.
It’s official – we got the keys the other day. Now we can blab to everyone.
The bakery is moving to a new location. Not to the East side but a little bit more east…
970 College Street will be the new home of Prairie Boy Bread as of October 1, 2015. (The old Virginia Johnson shop for all you textile lovers)
As word has spread and “real bread” lovers have discovered us, we have outgrown our cozy home on Sorauren Ave. We will miss our I Deal friends and the neighbourhood but the bread will still be available there to represent.
The bread oven will be moving over but there will also be a retail counter with bread, coffee, sandwiches, small groceries and other hand-picked goodies we think you are really going to love. You know; Bread stuffs.
We could not be doing this without the crazy amount of love and support from our dear friends and customers. Thank you – you know who you are. We look forward to seeing you more face to face at the new shop.
Gotta get going; soooo much to do!
Sincerely, Grant, Lainie and Xavi
Summertime always brings out the best in flavours and meals. Fresh local produce is everywhere you look right now. We have really been enjoying being part of the “My Market’ Bloor/Borden Farmers Market this year. Come visit us and shop from some of the best farmers and producers around the GTA. Dougs Honey, Earlidale Meats, Monteforte Cheese, and lots of farmers with amazing produce. In the Green P at Bloor and Borden in the Annex every Wednesday 3-7pm. See you there!
prairie boy bread 