Cranewood, the Mount Allison University president’s former residence is now home to the new Bakery at Cranewood. The bakery opened last Wednesday. The venture was launched by Head Baker Marsha Lemos and her assistant Jocelyn Pringle.
The property was purchased by managers Debbie and Malcolm Fisher. Debbie Fisher said that one end of the building will be “available [for] rental for receptions and meeting rooms,” while the rest of the building operates as a bakery.
The Bakery at Cranewood features a baking schedule that allows four different breads every day of the week, including gluten-free breads on Tuesdays. The bakery also offers two types of soups daily, including a vegan and gluten-free option.
Lemos said that in her experience she has realized “a great need for tailor-making” so people can “actually eat and be healthy and be comfortable.” Lemos added that she realized “our food industry was causing a crisis with people’s health.”
Pringle and Lemos said that the bakery has been busy since opening day. The bakery was only licensed Tuesday—just one day before it was ready for business.
Pringle has been very happy with the community’s response to the new bakery. The positive reception may not be surprising given that the minds behind the operation are not new names to Sackville’s culinary scene. Three years ago, Lemos was at the Cackling Goose, and then moved to 26 York Street as Aliper’s Hearth. Both Lemos and Pringle agreed: “We love Sackville, there is so much going on,” adding that it is “such a vibrant arts community” which creates “a wonderful opportunity for business.”
This sentiment is shared by the owners of the new Sweet Shop that will adopt the space left vacant at 26 York by Aliper’s Hearth. The Sweet Shop is a result of a partnership between Edward Knuckles of Knuckles Truffles and The Crazy Cupcakes Ladies, Donna Laundry and Natalie Crossman. The Sweet Shop is set to open on Saturday. The partnership developed between the two groups because they have both been vendors at the farmers’ market. Knuckles, a retiree from Toronto, started selling chocolates in Sackville about a year ago. Knuckles, who has been in the business of making truffles for over thirty years, had hoped to develop his clientele for over two years—but he was so well received by the community that he decided to open up shop early.
Knuckles said The Sweet Shop will offer high quality confections not limited to chocolates and cupcakes. He believes there is a niche for a business like his, though he recognizes that running a small business is difficult. The chocolatier mentioned that “some of the costs of rent can be absorbent” and he added that “you have to provide what people want [and] we are very cognizant of that fact.”
