The lineup was out the door well before lunch. By the early afternoon, there was barely any food left in the store.
From Scratch, a new bakery in downtown Yellowknife, had a dream opening day as the city’s residents poured in to check out the establishment’s mix of Asian breads, Vietnamese baguettes and boba tea.
“We had a lot of support from everyone,” said Anh Thu Bui, one half of the ownership team alongside husband Cong Thanh Huynh.
“Today, we have to close at 3pm – we were supposed to close at 7pm,” she said, referring to the lack of much left to sell. “I love it. I love the energy of everyone coming in.”
Bui is excited to offer the traditional baguettes, bánh mì, which have been adapted to a Yellowknife audience, and wants everyone to try the iced coffee.
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“We want to open a snack shop where everyone can come in for lunch or they can grab and go. That’s the idea,” she said.
From Scratch is taking over where Japanese bakery Ja-Pain previously existed at the front of the Centre Square Mall.
Huynh was a baker in Vietnam, Bui said, and worked for Subway and Barren Ground Coffee after moving to Yellowknife in 2021. Eventually, she said, “he wanted to open something for us.” (Huynh still had his Barren Ground cap on when Cabin Radio visited. From Scratch is currently using Barren Ground’s beans in its coffee.)
After a stellar opening day, the bakery’s owners are waiting to see how things pan out in the longer term.
“I don’t know if people are going to come back every day,” said Bui. “But the thing is, people like to try new things and support local businesses. That’s what gives me confidence about a business in Yellowknife.”
