Loaf Bakery and Restaurant opened its doors to a brand new, downtown Fernie location on Thursday.
Although the lunch rush was particularly busy, there was a constant stream of customers throughout the day, some sitting down to enjoy a meal, and others just popping in to pick up a fresh loaf of bread.
The new location on Second Avenue has been a work in progress for several months and owner of Loaf, Phil Gadd, couldn’t be happier opening day has finally arrived. “It’s exceeded mine and Claire’s, my wife’s, expectations. It’s been phenomenal just getting to this point, the last few
days have been pretty stressful, but everyone pitched in to get us open.”
Gadd remarked, “It’s been crazy. It’s been really, really, really bonkers to be honest. Kind of busier than we thought it would be. There’s lots of little teething problems, but on the whole I think it went really well.”
Gadd came to Fernie from London, England for the first time in 2004 with the Non-Stop skiing program. Just a few years later, he and his young family decided to make the big move over. “What brought me here in the first place is my love of snow and the closeness to the mountains,” said Gadd. “We came up with the bakery idea and we knew Fernie, from coming here for a while, didn’t have a bakery. So we thought we’d give it a go.”
When a new, larger location became a possibility, Gadd said the timing was just right. “We wanted to expand. I mean I’ve always wanted to try the restaurant thing out and Billy Woodford, our head chef, he’s just an awesome guy,” he said. “He’s got some great stuff to showcase here as well and it just felt like the right thing to do.”
Gadd believes the additional space will help Loaf, and Fernie respectively, continue to evolve. “It’s just awesome, for the business and for Fernie. I really want to help Fernie establish itself as a real resort town. It needed something like this and I think there’s definitely a spot for it for sure.”
Along with its new location, Loaf is also offering a revamped evening menu, more beverage options, and extended hours. Gadd is now on the hunt for a few more staff to help run the bigger bakery, including kitchen assistants, line cooks, and front of house staff.