Family bakery in Harbord Village a key staple to the community
Posted October 21, 2022 11:24 am.
A bakery in Harbord Village that has been open for almost a century is a fixture in the community.
Harbord Bakery & Calandria has been serving baked goods in the Harbord Village area since 1929. On May 8, 1945, Albert and Goldie Kosower bought the community bakery which now operated by their daughters.
“This is a part of this community and communities are really important, especially with all of the difficult stuff going on in the world. I think places like this can help us feel a part of something,” said Catherine Drew, who has been coming here since the 1980’s.
“I actually live up north and come down here for this because they just do such a beautiful hallah for The Sabbath,” said another customer named Jay. “This is an amazing setup that has continued to prosper. Successful businesses today are tough to come by and people work head and they are enjoying the benefits.”
The shop has a wall of pictures of the family expanding through the years and a bill of sale that hangs in the middle of it. Susan Wisniewski, co-owner and daughter of Albert and Goldie Kosower said they grew up in the bakery.
We grew up on top of the bakery. There were three apartments above it, we lived in the original one,” she shared. My dad was here every morning. We used to come before school have breakfast with him. There used to be a breakfast bar and he’d make sandwiches that were very special.”
Many of the recipes are originals from Albert Kosower, who was the baker before passing, and every piece of bread is hand made. “Everything is done by hand. Everything is really artisanal,” said Wisniewski.
“The pages are crumbling and falling apart and have all been transferred to the computer so we can save them for a little bit and keep passing them down,” said manager Ben Wisniewski.
In addition to the savoury and sweet dishes you can find here, the owners are heavily involved in the community. They’ve hosted many art and music classes, lectures, and events out of this spot.
“All of our customers are important to us. We know them. If we don’t know them, we try to get to know them to make a personal connection,” said Susan.
