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National recognition for local bakery
By Robin Knight
There are moments in everyone’s life that shift the course of their future. The owners of the Kimberley City Bakery experienced this last week when they discovered that The Bakers Journal of Canada had selected them as the winner of the coveted Jake the Baker award from bakeries all across Canada.
The Jake the Baker award is a validation of the products created at the bakery and so much more. It is about the bakery involvement in the community, marketing, and innovations. The entries are judged by staff at the Bakers Journal and a panel of baking experts. And the consensus is that The Kimberley City Bakery was the type of bakery that the award was created for, and that The Kimberley City Bakery has raised the bar for other bakeries across Canada.
In addition to a trip to the Baker’s Convention to receive their prestigious plaque, winners of the award are also featured in an edition of The Bakers Journal, which is distributed across Canada. Eric Forbes, the bakery owner (pictured above second from right, receiving the award), said the whole experience was amazing, but a little surreal. “It’s great to get the word out, not only about the bakery, but also to let people know what a great place Kimberley is, as well,” Forbes said.
Forbes said that winning the award caused him to realize how many people contribute to making The Kimberley City Bakery a destination bakery that welcomes regular customers from Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, the Kootenays, and even Chicago, New York, and Europe. “A huge thank you goes out to our customers for their continued support, to the sponsors of this award for giving us this opportunity, and for our bakery family of all our staff. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a family to raise a bakery. And a lot of leavener!”
The Kimberley City Bakery Medieval Festival is something that caught the judge’s attention as well. After all, whoever heard of a bakery putting on a festival? This festival gives back to the community and brings people together with authentic medieval breads, knights, Vikings, and amazing food and entertainment. It is slated to happen again July 8 and 9.
Photo courtesy Bakers Journal of Canada
