I met Aviv last year at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Farmer’s market. I went their every week to pick up my share from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and I met him behind a huge table of fresh baked bread. After that day, I bought bread every week. Dewey and I have a massive addiction to the wonderful loaves of sour dough that he bakes. For those lucky enough to live/work downtown, he also delivers bread every Tuesday….usually on his bicycle. Head on over to his website and subscribe to his newsletter to find out what he’s baking (and delivering) this week. If you are like me, though, and don’t live or work downtown, you can visit his bakery on Friday and Saturdays. It’s located at 5524 1A St. SW, Calgary and is open both days from 10 until 3, though you really need to get their earlier to have a good selection.
This week there were scones, croissants, pastries, French macarons, cinnamon buns and sourdough bread! I got the last two loaves of bread and I’ll admit I felt a teensy bit guilty….but not guilty enough to put one back!
Need another reason to visit? This summer Drunken Paw (drunken paw is a collaborative trio comprised of three artists; Mark Dicey, Leslie Sweder and Janet Turner) is doing an art installation at the bakery. The art they are working on is so cool & I can’t wait to see it come alive.
Oh and there’s Aviv working on some yummy creation. When I was in the bakery on Saturday he was preparing a couple of butternut squashes to roast. Yum!
Long story short, Aviv makes AWESOME bread and he’s a truly nice guy. Every time I see him, he stops to say hi. I know that “shopping local” is all the rage these days but I like it because you can actually get to know the person on the other side of the counter. That makes all the difference in the world! Want to learn more about Aviv and his bakery? Here are some great articles to get you started though I whole heartedly recommend just going by to buy bread & chat: FFWD, Swerve Calgary, CBC News
So back to you……Do you have a local business/merchant that you love dealing with? I would love ideas for Calgary but I enjoy hearing about them no matter where you are!
***Note that I pay for my bread just like everyone else. Aviv didn’t ask me to write this (nor does he know…yet) and all opinions are my own.
smothermother
Monday 27th of June 2011
my mouth watered when i saw the pastry picture. how i miss bread...
i love going to the local farmers' markets. and yesterday we picked strawberries and bought local cheese. mmm
Misty
Sunday 26th of June 2011
We love sourdough at our house too so we will definitely be visiting Aviv in the near future. I guess I may have to check in to see if you have already taken it all first though.
Merry
Sunday 26th of June 2011
If you go early you should be good. I got there at 1:30 ish yesterday and they were out of bread (other than the 2 loaves I bought). They had lots of scones, etc left though.