New baker to focus on breads, bagels

 In Business

The sign on the door still reads Creemore Bakery but there are some new faces inside. The bakery reopened this week with new owner Paige Brooks at the helm.

Brooks lives near Cashtown Corners with her husband Ryan and two small children. Since August 2022, she has operated Clearview Bread Company, a home-based bakery supplying focaccia, bagels, buns and bread to Hillbilly Acres in Stayner and Rural Roots Nursery and Market Garden and providing custom orders via word of mouth. Brooks was working about 15 hours per week while juggling the demands of her young family but when she heard last March that the Creemore Bakery was for sale, she was interested.

Brooks and her husband made an offer for the business in September, and closed the deal at the end of October. He describes himself as a very silent partner. They acquired the business name and most of the recipes, and took a three-year lease on the building.

“We’ll be keeping all the same sandwiches and quiches, but they’ll be available every day, not just on weekends,” said Brooks. “We’ve joined the Creemore BIA (Business Improvement Area) and are excited to be a part of the community.”

Brooks grew up in Canmore, Alberta where her mother worked in a French restaurant. She has been a foodie from quite a young age and has always cooked things from scratch for her family. Ryan grew up in the Stayner area, so when they met in Canmore 10 years ago she made the decision to move east. Her two children now attend Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School.

Brooks does not have a formal education in the culinary arts – in fact, she is a nurse by training – but during the pandemic she chose to stay home with her family and wound up launching Clearview Bread Company.

Two of the staff of the former Creemore Bakery have stayed on and Brooks has hired one additional person. She’s still looking to add one more staff member to the roster. She will look after in-house bread production herself.

“Initially we’ll focus on the focaccia and bread that we are known for, and five flavours of bagels: plain, cheese, everything, cinnamon raisin and jalapeño cheddar. We’re still using Norma [Panzine]’s butter tart recipe from Affairs (Affairs CateringBakery and Café was the forerunner to Creemore Bakery) and will have plain, raisin and pecan butter tarts,” said Brooks.

For the time being, Brooks will focus on getting the bakery up and running and will not have time for custom orders, but she expects that to change in the future.

Bakery hours will remain Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Brooks says there will be no winter break, other than a few days around Christmas. She said she is looking forward to meeting people in the community.

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