Artisan baker returns with Grainz Bread Shop and trades Inglewood for Foothills Industrial Park

Baker Teddi Smith, who previously brought him naturally fermented bread at his Inglewood bakery, is back in the baking business.

Its new space in Foothills Industrial Park, Grainz Bread Shop, picks up where the bakery left off. Smith left his Ninth Avenue store three years ago to teach aspiring bakers at Lester B. Pearson High School.

Known for her artisanal crusty crust breads, Smith makes the most using a three-day method and a sourdough sourdough that she dehydrated and hibernated years ago, then came to life when she opened. Grain in February.

There are breads of all shapes and sizes; baguettes, ciabatta, rye, round cheese balls. Most are made with its fermented wild sourdough, and some with a traditional poolish.

She sources her flour from Grainworks in Vulcan, Alta., And Heritage Harvest in Strathmore, Alta.

“Pick up where we left off”

Smith said she chose a space in the Southeast Calgary Industrial Park because of its more affordable rent and the concentration of people at work. And because the space was brand new, all she had to do was decide where to put everything.

“It’s like we just picked up where we left off,” she said. “We walked in and never missed a beat.”

It’s a bustling part of town, and with the nearby football center, a hockey rink and a trampoline park slated to open in the same cluster of stores, Smith said she also receives customers outside. normal working hours.

The shop opens its doors at 7 am for anyone wishing to stop on the way to work. Besides the bread Smith has become known for, they also make beautiful pastries, an assortment of cookies, delicate lard crust pies, and some of the best cinnamon buns in town.

There are piles of homemade jams, calzones, and daily specials – lots of sweet and savory things to grab and go. Visitors are delighted to find a “real bakery” in an area typically dominated by chain stores and restaurants, she said.

The bakery brings variety

“It’s $ 20 a square foot cheaper here – I couldn’t afford $ 50 a square foot anymore,” she said of the space, which looks surprisingly like her previous bakery in Inglewood.

“Plus a third of the city works here. People really enjoy finding us – and I was surprised to learn that many of my former Inglewood clients actually work in the area.”

After teaching baking and professional food preparation to Lester B. Pearson, Smith was able to hire some of his student bakers as apprentices in the shop.

“I work with a lot of really interesting kids,” she said. “It’s just us, who cook from scratch every day and do our thing.”

Grainz Bread Store, 5330 72nd Ave SE, 587-620-8850, grainzbreadshop.ca