By Robin Knight

There are many amazing small businesses in B.C. These small businesses are an integral part of our economy – they are employers, community sponsors, entrepreneurs, and part of the backbone of our communities. They are the ones who take us away from the factory run box stores and into the world of yesteryear when the shopkeepers knew their customers and went the extra mile to help them find what they wanted and needed.

Every year small businesses in B.C. are nominated and recognized as part of the Small Businesses BC Awards. As over 90% of B.C.’s population is in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, that is where most of the awards stay, but sometimes all it takes to nominate someone local is to vote. This year the Kootenay Region is being represented by nominations for The Kimberley City Bakery, which has been nominated for both ‘The People’s Choice Award’ and ‘Best Community Impact Award.’

The People’s Choice Award is based on how many votes each company nominated can acquire before November 30, while The Best Community Impact Award is for those small businesses that have an impact on the community where their business operates, show diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and can be considered a leader in the business community, also influenced by votes received.

Anyone who has had a chance to attend The Kimberley City Bakery Medieval Festival has seen first hand how The Kimberley City Bakery brings the community together for a weekend in the summer and showcases what Kimberley has to offer. Every holiday seems to be a new excuse for the bakery to decorate and show off something new and tasty, and many people in the community watch with anticipation to see what new holiday or decadent delight will await them with each visit.

I was able to catch up with Eric Forbes – owner and Chef de Cuisine of The Kimberley City Bakery – in between his deliveries, baking, promoting, and interacting with the public. I wanted to ask him why the bakery stands out not only from other bakeries in the area, but other businesses.

“We are different from other bakeries for several reasons, and the way we bake is key,” he confided. “We are the only bakery in the Kootenays that has two European trained Red Seal Bakers on staff, a Red Seal Chef, a European trained chocolatier, and makes everything from scratch. We are also one of the only peanut free bakeries in B.C. or Alberta, and that’s a really big deal for people with peanut allergies. Although a lot of bakeries claim to bake fresh from scratch every day, most have gone with baking from mixes or from frozen bread made in factories in the big cities. It’s hard to find bakers with training, and harder to find people that want to get up at one in the morning and are passionate about the trade. But we are, and it sets our baking apart from anywhere else.”

His passion is evident as he shares his craft, and he gives me a tour of the back of the bakery with its enormous wooden tables where breads, donuts, and croissants are made every day. The cavernous ovens are from another time. The made onsite yeast is the perfect example of how they have taken the best of the past and modernized it.

With the knowledge of the past mixed with a few modern conveniences, it is an intricate balance of old and new – of fresh bread out of Grandma’s oven, and modern innovations on their amazing croissants. Forbes described his position of “Chef de Cuisine” as “coming up with new ideas to keep people wondering what will be new the next time they visit.”

We walk past the spider webs and witch fingers of Halloween and the Sword in the Stone from the festival. “We love to celebrate holidays,” Forbes comments, seeing my gaze wander to the stone. “It keeps it fun for the staff and the customers. We work hard, but we like to have fun, too. That’s something that sets our business apart.”

I talked to several of the staff members, and heard the same refrain – It’s not all about the money. It’s about having fun, and knowing that they are making a difference. And it is different there. They believe that if they treat their staff like family, they will treat their customers like gold, and I could see that as Melanie served the customers.

While they are taking a week off November 6-12, they will be gearing up for Christmas as soon as they get back. With fruit already soaking in rum for their popular stollen and fruitcakes, Forbes says that this Christmas will be huge again.

“Tourists flock back, because of how great they know it is,” he states. “They don’t seem to understand why more of the locals don’t appreciate it or realize what a treasure it is to have a scratch bakery. It’s one of the few scratch bakeries left, and one of the few places to get European treats, especially in the Kootenays.” With people already starting to preorder their Christmas goodies, I understand why Forbes thinks it will be so busy.

Loaded with baked goods that elevate my expectations of a bakery, it is easy to see why they are nominated for these awards.

Eric’s words came back to me as I walked out the door and down the Platzl, “The community has been so good about supporting us, that we like to give back to them in our own way.”

They have definitely given back to the community since taking over the bakery three years ago. To show your support to them and help bring these awards to The Kimberley City Bakery and to the Kootenays, be sure to vote for The Kimberley City Bakery HERE and HERE.

Photo Credit Eric Forbes

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