By Daniel Moser
(AJNews) – Social distancing, and cleanliness are the new driving forces in our day to day lives, but the more things change the more they stay the same, for the neighbourhood baker, providing the essentials is still the number one priority. For Lawrence and Shirlann Bliss of Bliss Baked Goods, very little of the daily routine has changed, though if you drop by the bakery, you’ll notice a few changes to fit with the times. The Bliss day still starts bright and early, with countless items on the baking agenda from bread, to donuts, to custom cakes and more. In the front end of the bakery seating has been removed, sneeze guards and barriers have been installed to encourage safe social practices and to follow the government’s outlines for cleanliness and food handling.
Lawrence has been a key ingredient in the baking world of Edmonton for a long time now, and long-time customers continue to feel confident shopping with Bliss. Shirlann continue to work tirelessly, and provide a warm and positive atmosphere to the shop. If you’ve visited Bliss Baked Goods in the past it should come as no surprise to you that in many ways it’s business as usual, the volume of custom cake orders and donuts have always flown off the shelf. While wholesale orders have slowed, to coincide with restaurant closures, more and more people are having more meals at home, so bread and other baked goods for household consumption continue to be essential to family life. Many young families, seniors, and community members have grown to count on Bliss Baked Goods for a dozen bagels in a pinch, a birthday cake for a special day, or that challah loaf for shabbat.
In professional baking there is no time for low spirits, the bake must go on, everyday there are new orders and new customers. “We feel supported by Edmonton, and the Jewish Community,” said Bliss. “We are grateful for business, and grateful for our wonderful customers, new and old, who rely on us every day. We are also grateful for the strong team we have at Bliss Baked Goods that make everything possible.”
“Every day is an opportunity for us to receive blessings from above in the form of customers.”
In terms of difficulties though no one is completely untouched by the pandemic. A morning Minyan has always been an important part of Lawrence’s routine, an activity he misses not only for his spiritual well-being, but also the social aspect, interacting with the other participants, learning and sharing. Raw ingredients have been a little harder to come by too, but Bliss powers on and is proud to be a part of the ongoing supply chain.
Staying upbeat and positive has been key to the success of Bliss but the severity of the current pandemic continues to linger in the background. “This is serious,” Bliss says “we need to take this [covid-19] very seriously. It’s not going away anytime soon. We must stay positive, but be smart at the same time.”
For the team at Bliss, no matter the circumstance, positivity can be found because “we love what we do!”
Bliss Baked Goods is conveniently located at 10710 – 142 Street. They are now limiting the number of customers and following appropriate social distancing protocol inside the shop. For their customer’s convenience, they also take phone orders at 780-453-0101 and accept payments by phone and do curbside pickup.
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