Baking runs in Byron FryB次元官网网址檚 blood, with the trade going back five generations on his fatherB次元官网网址檚 side and at least two in his motherB次元官网网址檚 family.
It took a little while, however, for him to realize owning and operating a bakery was what he wanted to do with his life.
Fry will awake on the morning of his 25th birthday next week and prepare for the usual 3 a.m. Friday start time at FryB次元官网网址檚 Red Wheat Bread bakery on Craigflower Road in Vic West.
The young proprietor, whose father is not a baker, remembers being rather disinterested in grandfather Lou LefeberB次元官网网址檚 work as a teenager during his visits to LefeberB次元官网网址檚 Lakehill Bakery in Saanich, where his mother also helped out.
Living in a household where consuming natural foods was commonplace, Fry became interested in food security.
B次元官网网址淚 started taking control of my own food and one way to do that was to start making my own bread, which I started doing at home,B次元官网网址� he said.
About four years ago when he was studying photography, Fry had the opportunity to shoot some bakers, including Cliff Leir at Fol Epi bakery in Dockside Green.
The up-close exposure, so to speak, to the art of baking got him rethinking his career options.
He dove into the business head-on, working the early morning shift at the Italian Bakery on Quadra Street B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址渁 really cool bakery with lots of cool old equipment,B次元官网网址� he says B次元官网网址� visiting bakeries in the U.S. and bouncing around a few bakeries on the Lower Mainland.
After selling his wares at farmerB次元官网网址檚 markets for a couple of years, he decided it would be cool to build a wood-fired oven. The next logical step was to scout around for a retail location.
He found one at the foot of Craigflower Road, directly across from where his great great grandfather, Charles Fry, opened a bakery in 1920.
Motivated by the age of the building and its electrical system, which necessitated a more efficient, old-style approach to the companyB次元官网网址檚 use of power, Fry and his associates built an oven brick by brick and created a space where customers could see the baking being done up close.
Baking favourites such as pain rustique, flax rye and whole wheat country breads B次元官网网址� publishing a day-by-day baking schedule and menu for customers B次元官网网址� FryB次元官网网址檚 aims to sell out its products on a daily basis. With specific breads baked through the day, depending on the temperature of the wood-chip fuelled oven, no ingredients are frozen, negating the need for a freezer.
The up-close-and-personal approach of having much of the baking procedure on view for customers, not to mention the unique flavours of their specialty breads, has made the bakery a popular stop in the Vic West neighbourhood.
B次元官网网址淲e didnB次元官网网址檛 realize how great a location it was until we started working here and realizing how many people walk by,B次元官网网址� Fry says. B次元官网网址淲e get a lot of people coming in and saying B次元官网网址榳e live so much closer to (another bakery) but it just doesnB次元官网网址檛 taste the same. We put a lot of time and energy into it and I think it shows in the product.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址� FryB次元官网网址檚 Red Wheat Bread, 416 Craigflower Rd. 250-590-5727. frysbakery.com
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