Am I really going to devote an entire column to bread? Yes, yes I am. I remember in the mid to late 2000s, low carb eating was popular. I worked at Gap Inc. Headquarters in San Francisco. Before a day of colour and fabric trends, we witnessed “Gapeteria” breakfast trends. I watched conveyor belts of hollow bagels — bellies torn out — toast in the electric heat, innocent bystanders in the rise and fall of Atkins and South Beach. No shade to low-carb folks –– everyone’s body is different. That said. This body? It likes bread. In a world that moralizes food, carbs are the misunderstood villain. Boldly brandishing a baguette? Glorious leavened resistance.
Let’s talk about the best breads in the Creek. Since baking bread is the only thing I like less than going without, I bow to our local bakers. Maybe one day I’ll enter my bread-making era. Until then, I’ll stick to supporting the experts.
The first stop on my bread tour is the Gumboot Cafe. In March 2020, the Gumboot Cafe was one of my last stops before the world shut down. I stocked up on fresh and frozen loaves, the bread providing comfort in taste and smell in the eerie ghost town feels of early COVID times. For a while, I’d alternate my “always on” home bread selection between Gumboot loaves and the sourdough from The Farm, available in Roberts Creek at the Wednesday markets and Wednesdays and Fridays at Roberts Creek Wellbeing.
The most recent addition to my bread repertoire is from The Good Loaf. For me, bagels and English muffins aren’t DIY foods — like Doritos, they just exist. Not for Minh, though. During the pandemic while I was busy falling in love with Zoom calls, Minh was falling in love with sourdough, building her business shortly thereafter. Her love for food began as a girl in Vietnam, where cooking was a celebration of culture, tradition, and sharing. For Minh, good food builds community — it’s about connection as much as taste. She also believes in using only the finest ingredients, including organic flour and grains, to create traditional sourdough loaves from scratch.
The only thing better than Minh’s baking? Being able to pre-order it. The ability to keep my freezer filled with delicious bagels is now a secret busy working mom superpower –– as I stand ankle-deep in dirty laundry and I’ve forgotten to take the garbage bins down to the curb, a little voice in my head asks, “Got your life together?” Clearly not. But I have bagels. And today, that’s enough. “Morning kids! Bagels all around! Have I packed your lunch? No! But here, take a bagel.” The English muffins are the real dream. The bagels? A diversion — like hiding my good ice cream behind a fortress of frozen peas. My white whale –– the perfect breakfast bread. On early Vancouver ferry days, knowing I have one tucked away makes the wake-up easier. You can find them at the Sechelt Farmers Market, but my favorite way? Meeting Minh in the Roberts Creek Hall parking lot. The bread is passed over in a plain bag — like an illicit substance, and for some, it would be. Our sourdough speakeasy makes me smile — an “only in Roberts Creek” moment.
