GO LOCAL THUNDER BAY COUNTRY MARKET

Nikos Mantis and his business partner Shawna Deagle have been pioneers in the local food movement since 2013 when they launched Pinetree Catering. Over time, they added their Local Motion Northern Fusion food truck, the NomadYQT café at the Thunder Bay International Airport, and the new Nomad Bakeshop and Sandwich Bar on

Bay Street (Nomad on Bay) in the old Scan Deli to their empire. Their bakery branch, The Sapling Bakery by Pinetree Catering, which opened in 2015, has found a home at the Thunder Bay Country Market.

Mantis says that their move to the market came after the closure of two of the market’s bakery booths, as well as growing Pinetree staff interest in digging deeper into the craft of preparing artisanal rustic breads. The experiment has been so successful that Pinetree now has a separate bakery division.

The Sapling’s staples include stone oven-baked sourdough bread, French baguettes, parsley basil French loaves, potato buns, Thunder Oak cheese bread, farmer’s rye, milk buns, English muffins, and power loaves featuring nine kinds of ancient grain seeds. On the sweeter side, there are cinnamon twists and a variety of cookies and pies.

Inspired by their imaginations and the seasons, staff concoct specialty breads like challah, Finnish pulla and honey hibiscus brioche hearts. Their “Starry Night” sourdough bread, tinted and flavoured by blue tea leaves and dotted with dried apricot pieces really does look a lot like the Van Gogh masterpiece. Bacon has been showcased to rave reviews in their maple bourbon bacon sticky buns and stout and bacon French loaf. They also have candied bacon made with Sleeping Giant Brewery’s Skull Rock stout.

A range of tasty dips including different types of hummus, artichoke and asiago dips, bean dips, and salsas pair well with Pinetree’s famous pita chips; Sapling’s range of salad dressings are also popular.

Even during the pandemic, Sapling has had a loyal following. “Bread is one of those key items that people come to the market for on a regular basis. They love that it’s fresh and that we use as many local ingredients as we can, often partnering with other market vendors,” Mantis says. Besides its market location, Sapling products can be found at Dawson General Store, the Breakaway on Oliver Road, The Cheese Encounter, Rebel Salad, and Nomad on Bay, where there is a build-your-own sandwich bar.