New Kelowna bakery serving authentic European bread
Alchemy Bread Company is a locally owned bakery with a mission to bring authentic European bread to Kelowna. And their new permanent location at Polene Bakery & Bistro is doing just that from Bernard Avenue.
Owner Myroslav Pomazan didn’t plan on becoming a baker, but after immigrating from Ukraine 15 years ago, his years-long hunt to find the traditional loaves he loved as a child led him down an unexpected path.
“It is really common for the kids in eastern Europe to go to the store, because in eastern Europe most businesses would be on the first floor of the apartment building and bread is such a staple that most people buy it daily,” Pomazan told iNFOnews.ca.
“In most cases, if you show up at a certain time of the day the bread would still be warm. So, they're my best childhood memories. When you go to the store, you buy this brick of bread and then you chew on the crust as you walk home.”
For most of his professional life, Pomazan worked as a software developer. However, he has been passionate about food since he was a young boy.
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“Growing up we never really shopped around for veggies. My grandparents had a cold cellar. So, in the summer I would help them water and gather everything and then at the end of the summer we would turn that into all kinds of jams, sauces, sometimes juices and things like that.”
When the COVID pandemic hit and lockdown arrived, Pomazan found the ideal opportunity to start experimenting with baking again, particularly with sourdough loaves and European recipes.
“One thing led to another. I made two loaves, sometimes three loaves, and because we wouldn't be able to eat so much I would always share it with the people who lived nearby," he said. "Then eventually they started asking whether they can buy the bread and I'm like sure, no big deal.”
Pomazan’s worked especially hard on trying to recreate the bread he grew up eating.
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“Bread's been always a bit of a difficulty to find (here) because bakeries in North America work slightly differently," Pomazan explained.
"Most people here are used to sandwich bread and things that are out of the bag and I noticed that a lot of them have many preservatives, bread improvers and things like that. In some cases, I would even have an allergic reaction.”
Retail spaces in Kelowna come with large price tag, so Pomazan’s first step to expand his business was to buy a bakery on wheels in 2021.
From this large yellow van, Pomazan sells bread at local farmer’s markets and has built up a loyal customer base of bread lovers across the Okanagan.
Three years later, Alchemy has now expanded into its first permanent location.
“We didn't expect much really from just starting up. You know, it's like you can plan and plan and plan but at the end of the day you never know how it's gonna go,” he said.
In just a few short weeks, Polene Bakery & Bistro has already stirred up excitement in the local community and served many eager customers.
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“One of the customers posted on Facebook about us and that's when things just became a little bit crazy,” Pomazan said.
The bakery sells a variety of sandwiches and bread, including a speciality rye which was requested by local eastern European costumers.
The business is family-owned and operated by a small team of employees including Pomozan’s wife Sofia and her father.
The new bakery can be found at 101 - 1125 Bernard Ave.
More information about the company can be found here.
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