hot new stoves

When I wanted to expand my business from my kitchen to something more commercial and professional last year, I looked around for places that could help me out. I tried a few cafés, church basements, restaurants, commercial enterprises: anywhere that seemed to have a nice kitchen they'd like to rent out once a week so I could continue with the Marché Ste Anne. One place said yes, right on the spot: Restaurant Del Fiacco in Rigaud (which is always full, by the way). Giovanni just kind of smiled (or smirked?) and said what the heck, here's a key. He charged me a ridiculously low rent, had to tell me once or twice to sweep up a little better please, but I left him warm bread on Saturday mornings and it all balanced out. It felt like home.

But, a year later, I had designs on the future. I was already dropping off some bread at the café in Hudson, Les Artisans de Hudson, and it seemed like the perfect place to take the next step. I asked them if they would be interested in a kind of kitchen share: I pay them rent and come three days a week to bake bread. Marc-André and his wife Annick said what the heck, here's a key.

So it's been about two weeks that I've shifted operations from Rigaud to Hudson. You can buy my bread at the Café on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I've also started delivering bread on those same days to the little store Que de bonnes choses down the street. There are more places in the works as I start to go around, basket of bread in hand, seeing who will buy. Hoping someone will say what the heck, here's a key.