When Bar Kirshon came to Canada eight years ago from her native Israel, it was not to be a baker.
“I moved to Canada to become a filmmaker,” Kishon said with a chuckle.
But then the pandemic hit, and like many other people, she turned to making her own sourdough bread to pass the time. Her parents are both in the food game – her mother, Guiti, is a pastry chef while her father, Tsahi, also was a chef, although he has left the profession.
“It became, from that, giving away bread to people around me, like community, neighbours, friends,” Kishon said.
She then began to sell her bread and when she moved to Niagara from Toronto, she began to sell her wares at the Welland Farmers’ Market on weekends. That’s when the thought occurred to her to open a bricks and mortar bakery.
“I decided that it was the right time,” she said. “It was almost a year ago when I decided to actually do it.”
She first set up shop as The Baking Bar in Fort Erie on Jarvis Street but found herself wanting something bigger, and the spot at 11 Hwy. 20 West — in the space that once housed Indulgence Bakery—was the perfect spot to become The Baking Bar’s new home. Kishon has been busy renovating the space with the help of her wife, Rony Rom, and friends Shona Turner and Daryll Poulsen.
“This place is huge,” she said. “I'll have sitting area and all of that.”
While she isn’t behind the camera as she first intended, she also is no stranger to the food industry thanks to her parents and her own job experience.
“I worked at a food magazine. I worked for restaurants and whatever,” Kishon said. Now it’s her name in lights, so to speak.
And she will be bringing her specialty – French macarons – to the new shop along with her other baked goods, which include croissants and an assortment of breads such as babka and focaccia.
And yes, sourdough bread will be among the offerings, which also includes Challah, a staple served traditionally on Friday nights after sunset at the start of the Jewish Sabbath.
Kishon also makes another traditional Jewish treat – Rugelach.
“It's rolled dough with chocolate,” Kishon said. “I also put some coffee in it, because why not? It's very full of flavour.”
She is also bringing something to Fonthill that she did at the Fort Erie location, namely theme days. In the past, Kishon has celebrated Disney princesses, Harry Potter and, most recently, superheroes.
“I love doing that. It's so much fun,” she said.
Once renovations are complete, Kishon will stage a soft opening, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 11 at 10 a.m.
More information on the Bakery Bar can be found on the business’ Facebook page.
