A night at the bakery: behind the scenes at Vancouver's long-standing Terra Breads
CBC News | Posted: May 11, 2019 5:30 PM | Last Updated: May 11, 2019
‘There’s something about the quieter pace and feel of the night that is wonderful,’ says co-founder
In every corner of the province, B.C. bakeries are creating incredible artisan bread — and a lot of that baking happens at night.
Mary Mackay has been handcrafting bread since 1993 with Terra Breads, which she co-founded.
The team works between dusk and dawn to get the freshly-baked goods ready for the shelves each morning.
"You get into the zone and there's something about the quieter pace and feel of the night that is wonderful," Mackay said.
She's one of the pioneers in a resurgence of handcrafted bread in B.C. during the last few decades and has been a champion of local, seasonal and organic ingredients.
"I used to love being the first one in the bakery, it's really quiet," Mackay said.
"The biggest difficulty working at night is just waking up … But once you're up, it's pretty good."
The first shop located in Kitsilano was a sensation not only for its bread and pastries, but also for the attached cafe where people would sit and enjoy the sights, smells and bustle of the bakery,
Now, Terra Breads has locations across Vancouver and also bakes for restaurants and grocery stores.
"Baking can be a really zen like," said Mackay. "I still love it after all these years."
Watch what goes on behind the scenes at the bakery and meet some of the people there: