Longtime Sudbury bakery forced to move to new location
A Sudbury bakery that has been in operation for 62 years is rising to meet its latest challenge.
Leinala's Bakery Scandinavian Foods is being forced to find a new location because of structural repairs needed to the building it's operated out of for the past 28 years.
The bakery has been operating on Caswell Drive under the parking garage at Lockerby Towers, but is being evicted while repairs to the structure are completed.
It has secured a new location in the Eddie's strip mall in the South End.
The head baker told CTV News that all of the recipes stem back to a grandmother who began baking for the Finnish army before immigrating to Canada.
"I am proud of us being in business this long and just being able to continue the business that my grandparents started," said Aaron Laakso.
"Hopefully, they are proud of what we have accomplished here."
Aaron's sister, Erika, is the manager and the pastry baker.
"They are my grandmother's recipes but they are very focused on Finnish traditional foods," she said.
“So Pulla, Finnish meat pies we use a lot of cardamom. We use a lot of cinnamon use a lot of butter.”
The bakery said one of the most popular pastries over the years is the jelly pig.
"Jelly pigs are a huge hit," said Aaron.
"They’re a donut filled with raspberry jam and tossed in sugar but it's the shape of them that gets people."
The brother and sister team carrying on the strong Finnish baking tradition and legacy said they are excited for the new location.
"We don't import them but we bring in a lot of foods and Finnish crystal and sauna supplies so it's also more like a Finnish spot,” said Erika.
"So in a way it's not just a bakery, it's been a cultural spot for the Finnish population."
Aaron said dealing with customers is a joy.
"You get a great feeling baking for people and servicing them and just seeing smiles on their faces," he said.
"It's wonderful to know that you have done something to brighten someone else's day."
The last day of baking at the Caswell Drive location is Nov. 16.
The Laaksos said they hope to open their new location sometime in the New Year, but said they are currently exploring a temporary option to bake for their loyal customers over Christmas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.