My daily bread...
After the incredible birthday celebration we had last Friday for RISE turning two, I’ve found myself reflecting a lot this week. And honestly, it feels a little bit like raising a child. People always joke about the “terrible twos,” but maybe this stage isn’t terrible at all. Maybe it’s the stage where curiosity takes over. Where everything is touched, explored, climbed on, tested, pulled apart, and rebuilt again because the world is still brand new.
The first year was a blur of long days, skinned knees, exhaustion, uncertainty, and simply trying to keep up. When you build something from the ground up, there is no manual for it. You learn by doing. You fall down, you get overwhelmed, you question yourself, and then somehow you get back up the next morning and bake bread again anyway.
Somewhere along the way, the falling down becomes a little less dramatic. The hard days still come, but they don’t knock you quite as far off course. You start building strength underneath it all. You start trusting yourself. And little by little, the foundation gets stronger.
As we step into our third year, it finally feels like we are all standing on that strong foundation.
The team around me feels exactly right. Every person here brings something unique to the kitchen, the coffee bar, and this little space we’ve created together. And because of that, it finally feels like we are ready to truly take off. Not because we suddenly know everything, far from it but because now we have the confidence to keep trying, keep experimenting, keep dreaming, and keep growing without being afraid of a few more skinned knees along the way.
Right now, there is so much creativity moving through this little bakehouse. New ideas being tossed around the kitchen and coffee bar every single day. It feels like everyone here is bringing something to the table, and together we are finding new ways to make this little bakehouse feel even more alive. And for the first time, it truly feels like we are standing in exactly the right place for all of those ideas to start growing.
So here we are. Two years in. Still curious. Still learning. Still reaching higher.
And honestly… I think we’re just getting started and we’re so glad you’re here for the ride.. 💛
Mondays at Rise
You all know the rhythm by now. Mondays are our reset, restock, chop, roast, build, and bring-the-cooler-back-to-life kind of day.
After a busy week, the grab-and-go cooler usually starts Monday morning looking a little bare… but not for long. By the hour, it begins filling back up with all the fresh things being made in the kitchen.
At 7 a.m. the doors open with hot Birdy Coffee brewing, kettles ready for tea, and plenty of non-caffeinated comforts if coffee isn’t your thing. Have you tried one of our Golden Milk Lattes yet? Creamy, warming, gently spiced, and completely caffeine-free.
Fresh baking will be on the counter, and our Rise & Shine Granola Muffins will be ready for the early crowd. We’ll also have house-made yogurt parfaits waiting in the cooler, layered with beautiful berries and our granola on the side.
Then the kitchen gets moving. Knives out, music on, veggies flying.
This week we’ll be rolling out bbq grilled chicken & veggie wraps, along with the regular grilled chicken wraps followed by fresh rice paper salad rolls, and then our weekly salad bowl once everything comes together closer to lunch.
Mondays are not the flashiest day around here… but they might be the freshest.💛
Salad Bowl of the Week - Tropical Sunshine Salad Bowl
We’re building it with quinoa and quinoa pasta, baby potatoes, cabbage, chickpeas, beautiful steamed French green beans, and all sorts of fresh crunchy vegetables coming together in the kitchen. There’s dried pineapple and dates folded throughout for little bursts of sweetness, along with fresh herbs and a touch of mint to brighten everything up.
Then the whole bowl gets tossed with a honey lime green curry vinaigrette finished with just a splash of coconut milk to make it creamy, fragrant, and absolutely delicious.
Fresh, vibrant, filling, and packed with flavor from top to bottom - this one is going to be fabulous. And as always, we’re keeping the base gluten-free and dairy-free. You can add on Rockridge feta and a side of fattoush for a little extra crunch and flavor if you like.
A little cooler update for the cheese lovers…
I brought back a couple wheels of Pierre Robert from Calgary this week, and if you know this cheese already, you probably just gasped a little bit.
Pierre Robert is this unbelievably creamy French-style brie that honestly feels more like butter met whipped cream and somehow became cheese. It is rich, soft, decadent, and quite possibly one of the most delicious things I have ever put on bread.
There are only a couple wheels tucked into the grab-and-go cooler, so quantities are very limited. You’re welcome to grab a whole wheel, or if you’d rather just try it first, we are more than happy to cut you a quarter or a half. Just ask us at the counter and we’ll take care of you.
Sourdough line-up...
Monday - No sourdough loaves on Monday as we reset, prep, and get the week rolling again in the kitchen.
Tuesday - SuperSeed Multigrain Loaves as usual, and I’m also kneading up a batch of the Red Fife Country Loaves because I know some of you Monday Red Fife people have been missing them.
And one more exciting little update - Einkorn is officially back in the flour room. My flour order finally arrived, which means the Red Fife Country loaves will once again have that beautiful einkorn folded back into the mix where it belongs.
Wednesday - The Classic Brown Loaf - a warm nod to the whole wheat bread many of us grew up with. Made with 50% whole wheat flour and 50% unbleached bread flour, it has a beautiful balance of hearty flavor and soft texture. I have added just a touch of molasses and a little barley malt extract, giving the loaf its rich color, gentle sweetness, and that familiar old-fashioned, sandwich bread character.
Also on Wednesday... Herbed Sourdough Focaccia and of course the 100% Whole Grain Organic Dark Rye Loaf.
Thursday - Light Rye Loaves(cracked rye, rye flakes and fine milled rye berries) and Hokkaido Sourdough Milk Buns
Friday - Red Fife Country Loaves
Wednesday Soup
Coconut Lime Chicken, and honestly, it’s kind of the best parts of a few favorite soups all coming together in one pot.
It starts with a rich, slow-simmered chicken broth with all the comforting goodness of a classic chicken noodle soup. Then there’s a little inspiration from Emeril Lagasse’s Portuguese lemon chicken soup, along with a gentle nod to the Thai coconut chicken soup we’ve made in the past that so many of you loved.
The result is something light, fresh, comforting, and incredibly flavorful all at once.
We’re loading it up with all the vegetables, leeks, zucchini, kale, cabbage, green beans, carrot, celery, peppers and those beautiful little shimeji mushrooms, then finishing it with rice noodles, lime and just enough coconut milk to make the broth silky and creamy without ever feeling heavy.
Warm, vibrant, and packed with goodness - this one is going to be absolutely delicious.
We’ll be ladling it up by the bowl and litre starting at 11am.
TGIF Sourdough Pizza!!
Quick trip to Calgary this past week, and yes… I loaded up on prosciutto at Scarpone's Italian Market. So naturally, Friday’s pizza is heading in a very delicious Italian direction.
This week we’re building a classic prosciutto pizza starting with roasted tomatoes simmered down into a beautiful vodka sauce. And a little did-you-know moment here - vodka sauce doesn’t actually taste like vodka. The vodka helps pull out and deepen all the incredible flavor of the tomatoes, and then a splash of cream gets folded in to make it silky and rich, like the most perfect rosé sauce.
From there we layer on roasted red onions, asparagus, artichokes, provolone, mozzarella, and loads of prosciutto.
And because this is RISE, when it comes out of the oven we finish it the only way we know how - fresh arugula, lemony feta, garlic aioli, and maybe just a little drizzle of chili oil honey right at the end to wake everything up.
Fresh. Salty. Creamy. Bright. Crispy around the edges. This pizza is going to be something special.💛
Coming out of the oven starting at 11am.
Cheesecake Friday
Last week’s strawberry cheesecake looked simple enough while Kiana was decorating it up… but wow, was it ever good. Sometimes the simple ones just hit exactly right.
This week, we thought it might be fun to start leaning into a few tropical drink-inspired cheesecakes as we head into late spring or dare I say… summer.
So Friday’s feature will be a Pina Colada Cheesecake.
At this exact moment, I’ve got pineapple running through the freeze dryer while we experiment and figure out how to bring all those classic pina colada flavors into cheesecake form. I picked up rum extract on my Calgary trip, there will absolutely be loads of coconut involved, and now we just get to have fun building the rest of it out.
Creamy, tropical, pineappley, coconutty goodness coming your way this Friday.
And finally… a little moment from Friday night.
Queen Bee frits, the first Capstone Night Market of the season, and my favorite little guy sharing fries with me. Honestly, it’s hard to explain how something so simple can feel so special.
With Mother’s Day this weekend, it had me thinking a lot about the different seasons of motherhood. And while being a mom is one of the greatest gifts of my life… I have to say, being a G-ma might just be pure magic.
To all the moms, grandmas, bonus moms, aunties, and women out there loving people fiercely every single day - I hope this weekend was full of small beautiful moments, good food, laughter, hugs, and people you love gathered close around you.
Have an amazing week ahead, and I’ll be back here next Sunday with more stories from the kitchen and everything we’re cooking up at RISE.💛
