Cheftimony Episode 012 - Lone Wolf
In the fall of 2017, my now-fiancée and I bought a home in Gibsons, a small town on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Gibsons is still most famous as the setting of The Beachcombers, a Canadian television series that was extremely popular in the 70s and 80s. The Sunshine Coast is actually part of the mainland, but you can’t drive there. It’s separated from Vancouver by a 40-minute ferry ride. The Coast is a wonderful place to live, with a growing culinary scene – sustainable farming, craft breweries, and some really interesting restaurants.
Recently, while heading north on the Coast to meet some friends for a hike, we made a point of stopping at the Lone Wolf Bakery in Sechelt, a town a few miles up the road from Gibsons. I’d heard a lot about Lone Wolf, so I was keen to sample their croissants (perfect sustenance for our hike!). While there, I introduced myself to Jacob, the lone person in the kitchen, who was busying himself with dough and ovens. Jacob accepted my invitation to be on Cheftimony, and the next weekend we went back, this time loaded up with recording gear.
What you’re going to hear on this episode is my interview with the two people behind Lone Wolf Bakery – Jacob Bender and Jenna Nestman. They are partners in business and in life, and it’s their combined efforts that have created such a wonderful spot on the Sunshine Coast. Jenna and Jacob have both been involved in the culinary world for years, Jenna having worked mostly front-of-house and Jacob back-of-house in the kitchen. Neither was a baker before opening their bakery on the Coast.
The name Lone Wolf Bakery comes both from the way Jacob and Jenna have each lived their lives but also from their desire to do something different – to create something that didn’t exist before on the Sunshine Coast. So Lone Wolf doesn’t offer fluffy white bread with soft crusts. Jenna and Jacob don’t bring in anything frozen or pre-made. What they are making are wonderful pastries and naturally-leavened bread. And you’ll hear how Lone Wolf customers are encouraging them to keep going and never to change their heartily-crusted bread for people with “weak teeth”!
Join me in the kitchen now (we actually sat around the main prep table in the Lone Wolf kitchen), for my interview with Jenna Nestman and Jacob Bender.