The aroma of fresh baked goods lingers in the air on Sixth Street even more so than before - that’s because there’s a new Ukrainian bakery in town.
Sergii Kuznietsov and wife, Iryna, opened the doors to Solodko (meaning sweet) last Monday, selling out of everything in less than six hours.
“They’ve been waiting for us for so long,” Kuznietsov told the Record. “We’ve had the mayor come in, and even the bishop of New Westminster; twice in two days.”
The couple started their baking company just last year. They had come to Canada in 2012 so Kuznietsov could complete his master of business degree. While in school, Iryna got a job at a downtown Vancouver bakery. Shortly after, the two thought of marrying their professions together.
They set up shop at the Steveston farmers’ market last February. By the end of that summer, they expanded from one market to 10, averaging about $1,000 a day in sales. To put it in perspective, the pair only made $180 after their first day of business.
“We realized we needed our own place to make enough stuff,” Iryna said of their desire to open their own bakery. “Our bottleneck was the kitchen. We wanted to get in at more markets, but we couldn’t bake in the small kitchen we were renting.”
That’s when the hunt for a permanent location started.
Formerly AFG Kabul Bakery, the 1,000 sq.-ft. space at 444 Sixth Street has been completely renovated. There’s seating for up to four people, but most people just grab and go.
“It’s a different experience than the farmers’ market. There you got to give a lot of samples, you got to educate people about your stuff,” Kuznietsov said. “Here, it’s different. People just come and they buy, they say, ‘I want this, this and this.’”
The menu, meanwhile, will continue to remain authentic to Ukrainian cuisine, Iryna said. That includes offerings of poppy seed rolls, piroshki (baked buns with meat or fruit filling) and dark rye bread. Borscht will also be an option for soup lovers sometime in the next few weeks. Another Ukrainian food item not yet on the menu is pierogis. The couple intends to cook them just like grandma did, and sell them frozen. But it won’t be the typical potato and cheese filling. How does sour cherry, blueberry and cottage cheese sound?
Solodko is open seven days a week (Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekend). One of the challenges, Kuznietsov added, has been finding the right people to join their team.
“Not just to make an extra paycheque, but to fully embrace the art of baking and have a passion for it,” he said.
For now, customers can expect to see the couple behind the counter every day.
“It’s our home,” Kuznietsov said. “People from all the farmers’ markets, they kept asking us where they can get this stuff seven days a week. Now we tell them, ‘Here, in New West.’”
