The unique taste and flavours of Scandinavian baking are coming soon to Sidney, with an exciting new bakery currently warming up to open its doors.
Opening later this month (July), Smør Scandinavian Bakery will offer sweet and savoury treats from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Visitors can expect rye breads, cardamom buns, heart-shaped waffles and authentic Danish pastries.
“To my knowledge, there's no other bakery on Vancouver Island that is specifically focusing on Scandinavian baked goods,” said owner Leah Hayward. “So I do think there is a real hunger for it. Also, in the community there’s an underserved population who all of a sudden are like, wow, I can finally get ‘food from home’. So there's a lot of excitement there.”
Inspired by her own Scandinavian heritage and her time in Norway studying for a master’s degree, where she also met her Norwegian husband Trond, Hayward hopes that her new bakery will also serve as a gateway for visitors to learn more about this unique part of Europe.
“I'd like to showcase the diversity of the Scandinavian cultures,” said Hayward. "I think a lot of folks have this kind of fuzzy notion of northern Europe in general, whereas there is quite a distinct culture in Scandinavia specifically. Even the differences between the countries and even within the countries, the regional differences, are really amazing and diverse.”
She also hopes that Smør will offer a place for people with a Scandinavian heritage to connect.
“Hopefully they can come in see themselves and their culture reflected in the bakery, and seek out connection with like-minded others,” she said. “I think this will be really special.”
Prior to pursuing her passion for baking, Hayward worked in environmental politics, a career she describes as leaving her feeling “burnt out”. She decided to launch her own business in 2020, when the lockdowns caused by the pandemic forced her to reassess the direction of her life.
“I had a three-week-old baby and then Covid happened,” said Hayward. “It was this period of change and self reflection and I realized that I wasn't enjoying my job as much as I could. So I wanted to take the opportunity and switch careers."
“And I decided, that's it I'm going to be a baker now. So I picked up my brand new family and and moved to Nanaimo to go to baking school.”
After baking school, Hayward and her family moved to Norway so they could introduce son Bjørn, to her husband’s family. Whilst there she worked for the summer at a famous Norwegian bakery, gaining more experience and knowledge that would serve her well for the launch of her own business.
Returning to Vancouver Island, Hayward launched Smør in late 2022 from the confines of her own kitchen, before expanding to farmers' markets on the Saanich Peninsula & Gulf Islands in 2023.
“It’s been wildly popular,” said Hayward. “I feel lucky to have had a very successful first business experience. People are really excited about this business, which makes me really excited about it, too.”
Smør Scandinavian Bakery will be located on 2376 Bevan Ave, Sidney and plans to open its doors for the first time on Thursday, July 25. Plans are also afoot for a grand opening celebration in August.
For more information, visit: www.smor.ca.
