{"id":16983,"date":"2016-05-22T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-05-22T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/?p=16983"},"modified":"2020-03-26T03:59:55","modified_gmt":"2020-03-26T07:59:55","slug":"taits-is-a-tasty-tradition-in-brockville","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/2016\/05\/22\/taits-is-a-tasty-tradition-in-brockville\/","title":{"rendered":"Tait’s is a tasty tradition in Brockville"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tait's<\/a>

Tait’s Fresh Start Bakery has been at 31 King Street East in Brockville since 1908. Photo: James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

It\u2019s an old Brockville landmark with a new life. Tait\u2019s Bakery, now officially known as Tait\u2019s Fresh Start Bakery, has been baking bread and satisfying the sweet tooth of Leeds and Grenville Counties almost continuously since 1908. The local institution\u00a0started when John Tait arrived from England and set up shop at 31 King Street East, where the bakery has remained ever since. Before moving to Canada, Tait worked as a baker for Queen Victoria. The ownership changed a couple of times in the first 50 years of the business until Bruce Mazurek took over in 1957. Bruce\u2019s two sons, Steve and John ran the bakery until 2012 when they sold the business to Perry and Stacy Wenham. By the summer of 2015, Tait\u2019s was in financial trouble and suddenly one day in August, employees showed up for work to find the doors locked and the old bakery suddenly out of business. Customers and employees alike were in shock. Then Jay Leroux, a Tait\u2019s employee since 1989, stepped in. He and Melanie Day, his partner in both business and life, decided to reopen the business as Tait\u2019s Fresh Start. Even though it\u2019s been many decades since John Tait owned the bakery, his name has stayed as a symbol of tradition and quality. \u201cEven if the name changed, people would still call it Tait\u2019s anyway\u201d said Leroux. Steve and John Mazurek still own the old stone building and continue to lend their expertise to the business.<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

\"This<\/a>

This photo tastes good. Just some of the sweet selection at Tait’s. Photo: James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

The bakery and cafe now has about 20 employees, most of them full time, and many with more than a decade on the job. Leroux himself apprenticed as a baker at Tait\u2019s, a two-year process in Ontario that involves a combination of practical experience and course work, usually at a community college. The selection of baked goods ranges from varieties of homemade bread through cookies, squares, pies, cakes, and donuts. Other non-bakery products are sold too, including cheddar cheese, maple syrup, honey, jams, and jellies by producers from the Brockville area and across Ontario.<\/p>\n

The staff behind the counter talk with customers like they are old friends and family, and that\u2019s because a stop by Tait\u2019s is part of the daily routine for many Brockville residents.<\/p>\n

\"There's<\/a>

There’s almost always a line like this at Tait’s. Photo: James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

On a past visit, I heard one of the friendly women behind the counter ask a man if he was having a nice day. His answer, with a smile, was \u201cIt\u2019s always a nice day at Tait\u2019s.\u201d Customers of all ages line up for something to go or they sit and visit at the many tables. There\u2019s a relaxed feeling about the place that reminds one of a slower, simpler time. Personally, my first time at Tait\u2019s was over 30 years ago. My Dad had business in Brockville and my Mom took my sister and I there for a treat while he was at a meeting. A friend and I stocked up on cookies from Tait\u2019s last summer before going camping at nearby Charleston Lake. He wanted to go back for more cookies before catching the train for home three days later.<\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/a>

Jay Leroux and a big bread dough mixer. Photo: James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

The inside of Tait\u2019s is full of reminders of its 108-year\u00a0history. The ovens and much of the equipment are several decades old. The former freight elevator in the corner of the caf\u00e9 now sits idle but is a reminder of how bread was once brought up from the basement to be sold. Old cash registers, documents, and photo albums of past owners and employees are on display. Two generations of the Mazurek family literally grew up in the bakery.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A lucky Brockville dad recently celebrated his birthday with this decorated banana cream pie. Photo: James Morgan<\/p><\/div>\n

Tait\u2019s Fresh Start does a thriving catering business too. The same lunches served in their caf\u00e9 can be ordered for group events. Bakery products are also sold at four local grocery stores. Jay Leroux says since reopening, business has been good. The new Aquatarium at Tall Ships Landing on Brockville\u2019s waterfront has also helped. Tait\u2019s products are on the menu at the attraction\u2019s restaurant, and tourists visiting the Aquatarium have been heading up the street to get the full Tait\u2019s experience too. Leroux is modest about the role of his business as a local institution and public service, attributing its success, charm, and longevity to the community: \u201cBrockville owns it. I\u2019m just the caretaker for the next 20 years or so.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s an old Brockville landmark with a new life. Tait\u2019s Bakery, now officially known as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[15874,15872,880,36,5638,9849],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16983"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16983"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22075,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16983\/revisions\/22075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/allin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}