Christie’s Mayfair Bakery has been providing buns and bread, along with other bakery treats, to Saskatonians since 1932.
And with a new generation ready to take over, it looks like the family owned and operated bakery will be doing business for years to come.
Originally owned by the Christie family, the bakery, located on a commercial street on the city’s west side, was bought in 1965 by Italian immigrant Ennio Muzzolini and his prairie-born wife Janet.
Now the business is essentially managed and operated by their
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kids Tracey and Blair, who, while continuing to produce the traditional breads and buns, are also introducing new products to meet the tastes of a new, younger generation of customers.
That requires a delicate touch when it comes to changing the fare on offer.
“It’s a tricky sort of balancing act,” said Blair.
“We have customers who have been coming here for 30 and
40 years and at the same time new clients who have only been coming
a few years.”
If some of the long time customers are taken aback by the items now for sale, including a wide variety of breads and other products from foreign lands, that’s just part of the process.
“We need to take the business in the way it needs to go,” he said.
One of the biggest changes at the bakery in recent years has been the introduction of artisan breads, largely at Tracey’s instigation.
While there are numerous definitions of artisan baking, it generally refers to the work of a knowledgeable, skilled and conscientious baker who attempts to make the best possible product while working as much as possible by hand, from scratch, and using fresh ingredients.
Christie’s gets its flour from a local supplier, Dawn Foods, milled to strict specifications. It also produces a specialty loaf made from Red Fife wheat, a heritage variety obtained from a Saskatoon-area farmer.
More and more customers are demanding products free of chemicals and trans fats, and Blair said Christie’s is well positioned to respond.
“We have a solid customer base now and we’d like to expand and see where we can take the business,” he said.
Which wheat for what?
Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) is a hard wheat with superior milling and baking qualities. It is offered at various guaranteed protein levels.
Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD) has a high yield of semolina with excellent pasta and couscous quality.
Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES) is a hard red spring wheat with extra strong gluten suitable for blending and for special breads.
Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) is a hard wheat suitable for French breads, flat breads, steamed breads and noodles.
Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR) has medium to strong gluten strength suitable for some hearth breads, flat breads, steamed breads and noodles.
Canada Western Soft White Spring (SWSWS) is a soft wheat with low protein suitable for cookies, cakes, pastries and some types of breads and chapattis.
Canada Western Hard White Spring (CWHWS) is a hard wheat with superior milling quality that produces flour with excellent colour. It is used in bread and noodles.
Canada Prairie Spring White (CPSW) is a medium strength wheat suitable for various types of flat breads, noodles and chapattis.
Source: Canadian Wheat Board
