I'm making a 4.5hr drive to Ottawa this morning to pick up our daughter at university. Whenever I'm in Eastern Ontario, I always make it a point to stop at Grahames Bakery in Kemptville, ON. I just love their dinner rolls, bread and 'ox tongue' treats.
Grahames Bakery - Home of the heritage wood burning oven in Kemptville Ontario
Operating Since 1885
KEMPTVILLE -- When your 1885 commercial wood-fired oven goes on the fritz, who are you going to call?
The options are limited, but local baker Rick Grahame figured he knew the right guy for the job -- Carleton Place-area stonemason Joe Zuccarini, who trained at the hands of Italian masters. Zuccarini, a versatile craftsman who likes a good challenge, spends some of his time repairing heritage stone buildings. He had also constructed his own smaller-scale backyard wood oven, and a few years ago, he'd done a comparatively minor patch job on Grahame's mammoth oven, which retains some of its heat for up to four days after the fire has gone out.
The oven gained iconic status during the 1998 ice storm, when, with the power out for days, the oven was pressed into service to cook dozens of turkeys and other food for much of the community. Along with his sister Debbie, Grahame has been operating the bakery since 2005, when their father Ken -- a second-generation baker and legendary character who dished out diatribes along with the donuts -- passed away.
When Grahame noticed that part of the oven's arched brickwork had collapsed, he knew it was time for a major overhaul. With Zuccarini's input, the siblings considered their options: Closing down, changing over to a gas-fired oven or rebuilding the wood-fueled oven. "We decided to preserve the oven, not just for us but for everyone," Grahame said, adding that it's an important piece of Canadian history. It's also the bakery's trademark, giving bread, rolls and other baked goods a distinctive texture and taste.