Bakers Journal

Westside Bakery named Bakers Journal Inspirational Bakery of the Year!

April 14, 2022
By Colleen Cross


Westside Bakery of Edmonton is our new Inspirational Bakery of the Year!

Bakers Journal and founding sponsor Ardent Mills together congratulate Leeanne Tucker, president of the wholesale commercial bakery that grew out of a desire to chase a dream and snowballed when Tucker and husband and business development and marketing manager Travis Blake, put their focus on the community.

Leeanne Tucker and Travis Blake, proud owners of Westside Bakery in Edmonton, are the latest to enter the competition to be Jake the Baker Inspirational Bakery of the Year.

This can-do duo dreamed big to open a wholesale and commercial bakery and have plans to diversify with the help of their “mighty and growing team” that now includes Kristyn Carriere, senior recipe development scientist.

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Feeding the undernourished – in schools, kids’ sports leagues people in the wider community – even homeless dogs.

Leeanne, a coach, told us “I started to bring baked goods to the school with me to feed them, I gained parents’ support to help me do this as well. Smiles on those kids’ faces, fuel for their brain, laughter instead of irritated, hungry kids – that is all I needed to make my heart sing.”

Westside Bakery, formerly Wholesale Bakery Specialities, is artisan-style baked goods at a wholesale scale that serves cafés, restaurants, hotel chains and grocer across western Canada.

Reid McEachran, marketing manager for Ardent Mills, says you could feel the emotion and depth of the story coming off the page. Tucker describes writing her entry as therapeutic. “After all we’ve been through, I thought about all of the things we’d done and realized we’re doing all right!”

Bakers Journal’s Stephanie Jewell accepted the award on behalf of Westside Bakery from McEachran at Bakery Showcase April 10.

Runner-up for the award is Club Cappuccino Café, a small local family-run café in Thunder Bay, Ont., shared their story of how they created a grab-and-go dessert table to make take-out orders safe and convenient during the pandemic lockdown, among other creative innovations.

Thank you to Founding Sponsor Ardent Mills, Silver Sponsor Sunsweet Ingredients and Travel Sponsor Lallemand for their support of this meaningful contest, which recognizes outstanding bakery businesses in Canada. Read more about Westside Bakery in the next issue of Bakers Journal!

 

 


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