Seventh Sister Bakery

While much of the Roncesvalles strip is busily transforming into a smart row of upscale boutiques, — many of them well-known brands that are recognizable across the city — lower Roncesvalles has managed to retain a distinct neighbourhood feel. Step inside Seventh Sister Bakery and you might think you’d accidentally wandered into your grandmother’s kitchen. Looking around at the whimsical pictures, the kitty cat statues and the mismatched, multicoloured plates, it’s easy to imagine that someone’s lifetime collection is displayed on these walls and shelves.

So familiar is the atmosphere at the Seventh Sister Bakery that the owners source recipes from their clients, friends and neighbours, most of whom fit in to all three categories. Best buddies and co-owners Elisabeth Lang and Penny Stuss started baking with Elisabeth’s family recipes, but are happy to include the many recommendations offered by their regular clientele. This might include your grandmother’s special recipe, or something you may have had at a friend’s house or a recipe gleaned from a restaurant while on vacation.

“We even had a doctor bring in her recipe for vegan nutty muffins,” says Penny. “She was making them for their clients, and thought that our customers would like something healthy, too.”

Most of the décor at the bakery is sourced from Elisabeth’s own home, but clients also pitch in here, too. “Someone will clean out their attic and tell me that they’ve found the perfect thing for the shop,” Elisabeth recounts. Penny notes that people will bring in display dishes and even a chair or two, both to help out the well-liked entrepreneurs and to increase their feeling of being at home.