A year ago, Kayla Wenzek wouldn’t have had ‘open a business in Comox’ on her five-year plan… but COVID has a way of changing things.
Wenzek grew up in the Lower Mainland, and earned her red seal as a pastry chef, completing the program with the Fairmont Hotels chain, in Whistler.
“A lot happened during COVID that kind of ruined my five-year plan,” said Wenzek. “Originally my plan was to complete my red seal through Fairmont, and continue working within the chain, but move locations. Then COVID happened, which changed lots of things. I got a job offer in Vancouver, so I left Whistler for the new job, but that new job turned sour and I had left Whistler for that new job so I could not go back.”
Wenzek found herself overqualified to work for anyone else.
“People were offering me minimum wage, but as a red seal… I figured if I am going to work for minimum wage, I might as well work for myself, so here we are.”
Wenzek moved to the Valley in August of 2021, specifically to open the Flying Apron Bakery. The business is located at 268 Anderton Rd., in Comox.
She describes her business as “a European-style bakery, with a North American influence.”
So why Comox?
“I have a good friend who lives here and he said there’s nowhere to get a good scone, so that was good enough for me,” she quipped.
While scones are one specialty, the Flying Apron is much more than that. The bakery offers gluten-free items, vegan-friendly items, and everything from muffins to breads. It is also a peanut-free bakery.
“We try to accommodate most dietary restrictions,” said Wenzek. “We dabble in a bit of everything, we do sweet, savoury, pastries, cakes, muffins, cookies, kind of everything under the sun.”
Baking has always been a passion for Wenzek, who is coming into her ninth year in the industry. She said opening the business has been a challenge, but a rewarding one.
“It’s a lot of work, but I knew it was going to be a lot of work,” she said. “But the rewards are going to be great in the end.”
The Flying Apron had a soft opening earlier this year, and recently had its grand opening.
“We had a soft opening for a couple of weeks, and I didn’t expect it to be as busy as it was. Then we had our official grand opening (Feb. 12-13), and things have just gone crazy from there.”
Wenzek said catering is ‘“in the cards down the road” once she gets more established.
Store hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
For more info, check out the bakery’s Facebook page, at facebook.com/TheFlyingApronBakeshop
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terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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