Anyone who knows LaHave knows its bakery. In fact, as this book notes, the bakery is often what brings people to LaHave.
Most of the book is a detailed and fascinating oral history, with narrative from nine community members, including bakery partners Gael Watson and Andra White. The text is accompanied by more than 70 images, both photographs and original art.
The result is a rich collection that, as its subtitle says, covers the story of the building that houses the bakery, the development of the bakery itself, and the philosophy Watson brings to her business and her baking.
The book starts by tracing the building’s history from 1901 to the present, describing its 72 years as the LaHave Outfitting Company and its transition to housing multiple businesses.
At the end of the book, there is a baker’s dozen recipes, so the reader can do their best to recreate some of the LaHave Bakery’s most popular baked goods. Not quite the same as a visit to the bakery, perhaps, but definitely the next-best thing.
Published by Nimbus, 2024