Black Rook Bake House

“Black rook is the British way of saying ‘blackbird’,” says Mark Blundell, co-owner and baker at Hasting-Sunrise’s most popular bakery, the Black Rook Bakehouse.

“It goes with our European, old-world feel,” Mark explains, adding that the Black Rook recipes are inspired by pre-World-War-II- to late 1950s-style baking from the UK.

“It’s apple-pie-in-the-window-sill kind of baking,” adds Dana Blundell, Mark’s wife and business partner.

Dana originally opened the Black Rook on Hastings Street, near Lakewood Drive, with long-time friend Karen Bloodsworth in 2011. When the original site was zoned for redevelopment in 2014, Karen moved on to other ventures, while Mark and Dana reopened the Bakehouse further north on Hastings. The new location is as cozy, warm, old school  and funky as the last — a mix of industrial chic lighting complements the hanging homemade quilts, like medieval tapestries in a castle. Customers can gather to sip coffee around the space’s most impressive feature: a majestic, old-world fireplace, over which hangs a beautiful quilt made by Dana’s mother. Dana’s grandmother’s piano sits in the corner, waiting to be played. There’s no question that stepping into the Black Rook Bakehouse is akin to stepping back in time.

“A lot of friends and family helped out with the move. The neighbourhood has really embraced us too,” says Mark gratefully. “The permits took longer than we thought, and this space was just an empty shell when we moved in, so we had to install all the ovens, gas lines, electrical…everything. The cool thing is, even though we were closed for five months, we’ve retained a really loyal base of customers who used to come to our old place.”