‘I’m going to miss them’ The Bake Oven, Winnipeg’s most prominent Dutch bakery and deli, is closing April 15 By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/04/2023 (889 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lori Loch might stockpile chocolate sprinkles soon.

“If they run out of them at (my granddaughter’s) house, she won’t eat breakfast,” Loch said.

She’s on a hunt: The Bake Oven, Winnipeg’s most prominent Dutch bakery and deli, is closing April 15.

For decades, Loch has visited the Edison Avenue site, buying specialty foods — her husband is Dutch — and ordering platters at The Bake Oven’s restaurant.

European fare has trickled down her family tree. Now, her six-year-old granddaughter covets chocolate sprinkles on toast, like they make in the Netherlands.

Loch doesn’t know where she’ll get her Dutch products after next week.

“I was actually going to phone (The Bake Oven)… ‘Put away as many chocolate sprinkles as you can for me,’” she said.

She’ll make the 40-minute commute from Headingley to Winnipeg’s northern point.

“I’m going to miss them,” Loch said. “It’s… a store that you could find products that you couldn’t find in, say, Superstore or Safeway.”

There was the bakery, with its Dutch pies and whipped cream cakes; the deli had Dutch cheeses and blood and tongue sausage.

“Liver loaf — my sister-in-law, that was her favourite,” Loch said.

“I’m going to miss them… It’s… a store that you could find products that you couldn’t find in, say, Superstore or Safeway.”–Lori Loch

The owner is retiring, according to The Bake Oven’s general manager. Martin Posthumus Jr. bought the business from his father years ago.

Marten Posthumus Sr. and his wife began The Bake Oven in West Kildonan in 1955. The Dutch immigrants moved the company to Munroe Avenue and, finally, to Edison Avenue.

“It’s just a wonderful, wonderful place, and it’s going to leave a big hole in the community,” said Jennifer Toews, a regular at The Bake Oven’s restaurant.

The restaurant portion closed last August. At first, it was for renovations. The space remained closed as retirement cemented in the owner’s future, according to the general manager.

Toews and her crocheting group would meet monthly for breakfast, bringing unfinished blankets and scarves with them.

Her family must search for a new birthday cake supplier.

“Their baked good are, like, our go-to,” Toews said. “They really had the best cakes.”

She’s not Dutch, but she’s concerned for the community. The Bake Oven stood out as the place for specialty goods, Toews noted.

Statistics Canada’s census counted 43,390 Dutch Manitobans in 2021.

“We understand that this will have a tremendous impact on our customers and create a huge void in the Dutch community at large,” The Bake Oven wrote on its website.

Online, it cited “ongoing global issues” and rising costs as reasons for shuttering.

“The owner is looking to retire, and it just felt like now was the right time, with all of the stuff going on in the world,” said Chris, The Bake Oven’s general manager, who declined to give his last name.

“The owner is looking to retire, and it just felt like now was the right time, with all of the stuff going on in the world.”–Chris, The Bake Oven’s general manager

The building is purchased; however, The Bake Oven won’t continue under new ownership. Posthumus Jr. might sell recipes to others in the future, but “that’s just an option,” Chris said.

Now, Dutchy’s European Market — an online retailer — will be among the few suppliers offering a variety of Dutch goods in Manitoba.

“If you get to, once in a while, indulge in some of your native foods, then it kind of takes the edge off (being an immigrant),” said Jerome Posthumus, the owner of Dutchy’s.

He’s The Bake Oven’s former operations manager and part of the family. Posthumus began Dutchy’s in 2021 after sensing the Edison Avenue shop’s pending closure, he said.

About 80 per cent of his business is devoted to Dutch food, while the latter 20 per cent covers other European treats. Dutchy’s recently partnered with Springfield Meats in northeast Winnipeg. Customers can pick up Dutchy’s food at Springfield Meats or have it delivered.

“I made this alliance with Springfield Meats because I believe that they… will be able to service the Dutch community,” Posthumus said, noting the company’s expansion.

People have asked him to begin a store, but he’s not keen. He’s 63 and opening shop is “a considerable investment,” he said.

Posthumus said he hasn’t had difficulties with receiving products from overseas, but the prices of goods have risen.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com