New area bakery “raising some dough” for Family Transition Place on opening day

By Sam Odrowski

A new bakery in Orangeville is going to be helping women and families impacted by domestic violence when it officially opens its doors to the public next Wednesday, July 20.

Cobs Bakery (489 Broadway) is “raising some dough” for Family Transition Place that day, with 100 per cent of all sales being donated to the not-for-profit organization. 

Amber North, who owns the business with her husband, said representatives from FTP will be present at the store on July 20 and it feels good to give to the organization since it has been utilized by some of her staff.

“It's touching to be able to give back,” she said. 

When looking at the products Cobs' bakes, everything is made from scratch, said North. 

“We start with flour and water, so everything is the basic ingredients, and we don't take any shortcuts. Our artisan bread takes, like, 20 hours to make,” she explained. “I think the best way to describe it is when I first had Cobs, it reminded me of how my grandpa used to make bread.”

At the end of each day, the freshly baked breads and products that weren't sold at Cobs are donated to local charities. They currently include Choices Youth and Men's Shelter, the Lighthouse's free lunch program ran through the Uptown Church, and the Salvation Army.

Other not-for-profit organizations that might benefit from the end of day giving program at Cobs can call the bakery to inquire at 519-938-8889.

North said she enjoys the natural and authentic baking process at her new business. 

“What I really love about Cobs, since I started baking here, is this is how I bake at home. You just take a handful of blueberries (it's not like squeezed out of a jar) – it's just real blueberries and everything's so fresh. That's what I really loved about it, was the quality of the products,” said North.

She added that there's a range of healthy, high fibre breads available, which are better tolerated by a lot of people who have diabetes or a gluten intolerance. 

“It feels good to work here… because you're making healthy bread that, to me, is at a price that's fairly comparable to an in-store bakery at a grocery store,” said North. 

“There're no added preservatives or chemicals or anything in what we make, which is really nice. I've had friends that have kids that are sensitive to bread and this is the only bread they can eat with their kids.”

The bakery's healthier breads are also great for children who are pickier eaters.

“It tastes like white bread, but it has four times the fiber, so you can sneak it into your kids' lunch box. They'll think it's like a white bread,” said North. 

Cobs also has more indulgent options, such as their cinnamon buns, cinnamon loaf, Danishes, scones, tarts and chocolate croissants. 

The scones are quite popular and come in a variety of flavours, such as lemon blueberry, berry and white chocolate, strawberry passion fruit, cinnamon, and double chocolate.

Cobs is well known for producing high quality dinner rolls, buns, and loafs.

Some of the more savoury dishes include ham and cheese croissants, mini pizzas, pizza bases, and cheese pullapart bread.

North said the cheese pullapart breads at Cobs can't be put through their slicer because they are so cheesy – making for a great snack or addition to dinner.

North, who served in the military for 18 years, noted that the local Cobs is family owned, run by herself, her husband, and two daughters. They currently live 20 minutes outside of Orangeville but hope to move closer. 

With the business being in the works for roughly two years, North said she and her family are happy to finally see it come to fruition.

She'd encourage anyone who's loves freshly baked bread and supporting a great cause to come out to their donation day on July 20 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. to support FTP.

The official grand opening will take place the following day, July 21 from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.