“It has been an incredibly stressful and difficult couple of years in hospitality”, says Isabel Pasch, owner of Bread & Butter Bakery and Café in Grey Lynn.
Their online store was hugely popular during the strict Level 4 lockdown, delivering not only the baked treats and sourdoughs from Bread & Butter, but also, in collaboration with the Grey Lynn Farmers Market, a whole range of essential goods from fresh vegetables, milk and eggs to vegan spreads, chilli oils and more. Nevertheless the effects of the lockdowns have resulted in the smaller Bread & Butter outlets in Ponsonby and Whangaparaoa having to close in 2021.
For the iconic Grey Lynn café, having a supportive landlord has made things a bit easier. They embraced the idea of al fresco dining, so Bread & Butter set up a shaded outdoor space in the carpark outside the café, sheltered from the traffic by pallet planters with a seating capacity of up to 24 people.
“Having now only the bakery and café in Grey Lynn is in a way a blessing because we can really focus on product development”, says Pasch. Expect new flavours on the menu, from fermented vegetables that preserve the bounty of summer, to Kelmarna Gardens seasonal greens, a range of new smoothies, to new pastry flavours and tweaks and changes to some of the old classics.
“Of course we are very apprehensive of how people in Auckland are going to react to Omicron finally making it into New Zealand communities”, says Pasch, “but we feel we have been able to provide a safe and welcoming space. We bake healthy organic sourdough breads that support gut health, which in turn supports overall health and our treats are good for the soul and available for purchase online and take away.”
Being able to enjoy community, good conversations and good food is something that is not dispensable forever and people will have to trust themselves and others and support each other. On the whole New Zealanders have been incredibly resilient and compliant, and we need to remember we need each other: hugs, smiles and embraces included.
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Published 4 February 2022